Police Locate Camp Holding Abducted NYSC Members in Imo, Say Site Is Mined With IEDs

The Imo State Police Command says it has located the camp where abducted prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members are being held, but officers have been unable to enter because the site is reportedly planted with improvised explosive devices.

The 20 victims were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen attacked two buses in the Umunoha area of Imo State on Thursday.

Imo State Commissioner of Police Audu Bosso said on Saturday that operatives had tracked the abductors into a bush and used drone surveillance to identify their location. However, intelligence indicating that the camp was mined with explosives prevented security personnel from moving directly into the area.

“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,” Bosso said.

The commissioner said police were deploying bulldozers, vehicles and armoured personnel carriers to support the rescue operation, with the aim of bringing the victims out safely and unhurt. He added that an investigation had begun, but the suspects had not been identified beyond being described as unknown gunmen.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Shehu Umar Nadada, who was deployed to Imo by Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu to coordinate the operation, assured the victims’ families that security agencies were working to secure their safe release. He also urged relatives to cooperate with the rescue teams.

The development has heightened concerns among families who say they have received ransom demands. Some parents appealed to the federal and Oyo State governments for assistance, with one parent alleging that kidnappers demanded ₦50 million for each victim.

One mother, Mrs Oladosu, said her daughter Greatness was travelling to Uyo when she was abducted. She said the family was briefly able to see Greatness and other victims during a video call, where they appeared to be sitting on the ground in a bush and crying.

Another parent, Alimotu Akanke, said her son Akande Farouq, who was posted to Abia State, sent the word “Kidnappers!” to the family’s WhatsApp group before communication was lost. Friends and relatives have also launched social media campaigns seeking help for the victims’ safe release.

The Oyo State Government has condemned the abduction and assured the affected families that Governor Seyi Makinde was working with relevant stakeholders to secure the release of the corps members. Meanwhile, details surrounding the number of people listed on the two buses remain unclear, as a reported manifest listed 30 passengers while security authorities have not released the transport company’s official manifest.