Oyo and Imo Collaborate to Rescue 20 Abducted Corps Members

Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor 

The Oyo State Government on Sunday disclosed that it was working closely with the Imo State Government and relevant security agencies to secure the safe release of 20 prospective corps members of Oyo State origin abducted in Imo State, even as the Imo State Police Command confirmed that it had located the camp where the victims are being held but was delaying a raid because the location is reportedly mined with improvised explosive devices.

In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, in Ibadan, the state capital, the government said it was maintaining close government-to-government contact with the Imo State Government while also engaging actively with the security apparatus in both Oyo and Imo states. Oyelade said Oyo State was volunteering the templates and experiences it garnered during the Oriire kidnapping incident, noting that the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the abduction, submitted last week by the Justice Mojeed Owoade-led panel, was also useful in the ongoing bilateral discussions. The 20 graduates were travelling from Ibadan to their NYSC orientation camps on Thursday when gunmen attacked the two buses conveying them along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State. The abductors reportedly demanded N50m for each victim, amounting to N1bn, and had issued a 24-hour deadline for payment.

The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, in an interview on Saturday, said police operatives had tracked the group they were pursuing to a location in the bush but could not advance into the camp because intelligence indicated that it was mined with explosives. “Yesterday we were in the bush; we trailed them up to a particular location. But at that point in time, we couldn’t move in to where the coordinates showed us where they are,” he said. The commissioner said drone surveillance had helped operatives pinpoint the location, but the presence of improvised explosive devices posed an obstacle to the rescue operation. “The drone actually showed us exactly their location. But our predicament is that with the intel we have, the IEDs, the camp is mined with IEDs,” Bosso said. He said police were deploying vehicles, bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers to support efforts to reach the victims and bring them out safely. “We are moving with bulldozers and APCs,” he said, adding that the aim was to rescue the victims unhurt.

The Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Umar Nadada, who was deployed to Imo State by Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu to coordinate the rescue operations, also assured families that security agencies were working to secure the victims’ safe release and urged them to cooperate with operatives. “Definitely, let them be rest assured that they are going to be rescued safely. They should cooperate with us. I know it’s difficult, particularly for the parents of the victims,” Nadada said. “I know what they are feeling, but they should work with the security agencies.” The commissioner said an investigation had commenced but declined to identify those responsible beyond describing them as unknown gunmen. DIG Nadada added that the Inspector-General of Police had directed the deployment of additional operational assets and tactical teams to reinforce personnel already on the ground.

There are conflicting accounts over the number of people abducted and those rescued. While security agencies initially reported that 10 passengers had been rescued, the victims’ parents said those individuals escaped from the attackers and that about 20 prospective corps members remained in captivity. The Defence Headquarters had also reported that 20 passengers were abducted, with 10 people, including eight prospective corps members, subsequently rescued. The families of the abducted graduates said the kidnappers were demanding N50 million for each victim and had issued a 24-hour deadline for payment. The parents have appealed to the authorities and traditional leaders to intensify efforts to secure the safe release of their children. One parent, Olawale Olalere, narrated his ordeal with tears in his eyes, calling on Governor Seyi Makinde and President Bola Tinubu to come to their rescue. “The vehicle took off from Samonda and slept in Onitsha, from where they took off,” he said.

The Oyo State Government said it would continue to work with the Imo State Government, security agencies and other relevant stakeholders towards the safe return of the abducted corps members. Oyelade explained that governments did not ordinarily disclose all the measures being taken in delicate security situations, particularly where such disclosures could compromise ongoing operations. “The focus should indeed be on the Federal Government and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, who are responsible for national security, particularly on the actions taken within the first 72 hours of the incident,” he said. The commissioner recalled that Governor Seyi Makinde had last week appealed to President Bola Tinubu to expedite action on the abducted 40 Borno students, who were kidnapped on May 15, the same day students and teachers of Esinele and Yawota in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State were abducted.

The abduction has renewed concerns about the safety of corps members undertaking the mandatory national service programme, particularly those travelling long distances to orientation camps in states facing security challenges. The National Association of Nigerian Students, Southwest Zone D, raised alarm over the ransom demands and called on the Federal Government to review compulsory long-distance postings and introduce safer deployment and transportation arrangements. The association demanded the immediate implementation of the risk-sensitive deployment framework approved by the Federal Executive Council in June 2026 as part of comprehensive NYSC reforms. The reforms include a technology-driven call-up process, risk-sensitive deployment to improve the safety of corps members, a redesigned six-week orientation programme, skills-based primary assignments and improved orientation camp standards. NANS argued that the latest incident underscored the need to move from policy approval to practical implementation, calling for state-based or zonal service options until the security situation improved.

The rescue operation now hinges on whether the police can safely neutralise the IED threat and advance into the camp before the ransom deadline expires. The deployment of bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers signals the seriousness with which the operation is being treated, but it also underscores the dangers that security operatives face in attempting to reach the victims. For the families of the 20 abducted corps members, the days ahead will be defined by anxiety and hope in equal measure. The Oyo State Government has urged them to remain calm and assured them that the government was actively engaged in efforts to secure the release of their children. The Imo State Police Command has similarly pledged to sustain the operation until the victims are brought out safely. As DIG Nadada put it, the victims are going to be rescued safely. The question now is when, and whether the security agencies can execute the operation without further loss of life.

📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com

✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews