By Debbiemuse
Twenty prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and another person abducted in Imo State have been rescued, ending a seven-day ordeal that began when gunmen attacked two buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Road.
The victims were freed on Wednesday, October 7, following a coordinated search-and-rescue operation by security agencies. They were subsequently taken to the Department of State Services (DSS) Hospital in Owerri, where they are receiving medical attention and undergoing medical checks.
The prospective corps members had left Ibadan, Oyo State, for their respective NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when the buses conveying them came under attack around Umunoha in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State on October 1.
The abduction prompted intensified efforts by security agencies to locate the victims and apprehend their abductors.
Earlier in the operation, police said surveillance had helped identify the suspected kidnappers’ camp, but an immediate advance was reportedly prevented by intelligence indicating that the area had been fitted with improvised explosive devices. Additional operational resources were subsequently deployed as the search continued.
The rescue was carried out at Amakohia-Ubi in Owerri West Local Government Area, according to reports on the development. The operation involved security agencies working together to secure the release of the remaining victims.
At the DSS facility in Owerri, the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, met with the rescued victims. He was accompanied by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the Director of the DSS and the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade in the state.
The circumstances surrounding the release, including whether any arrests were made or whether ransom was paid, had not been made public as of Wednesday evening.
The rescue brings an end to days of uncertainty for the victims’ families and comes amid renewed concerns over the safety of prospective corps members travelling to orientation camps across the country.
Remember that it had earlier been reported by Indy Press that the kidnapped corpers included Akano Oluwasanjo Samuel, a recent graduate of UI and a recent graduate from several tertiary institutions in Oyo State.
Source: Channels Television
