By Godwin Ogar
The 20 kidnapped prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, along with other abducted hostages in Imo State have regained freedom.
A security source familiar with the matter has revealed that the kidnap victims are currently receiving medical attention at the Department of State Services (DSS) Hospital in Owerri.
Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, during a telephone conversation at about 5pm on Wednesday, September 7, 2026, with the Olubadan, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, received the confirmation of their release.
The 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members were abducted in Imo State on Thursday, 1 October 2026 along the Owerri–Onitsha Road near Umunoha community in Mbaitoli Local Government Area, Imo State, while travelling in two commercial buses from Ibadan, Oyo State, bound for orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom States, after being forced into a nearby bush at gunpoint.
Police confirmed that the abduction happened at about 6:30 a.m. when armed men intercepted the buses.
Security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Police Force along with the military and other formations had launched an intelligence-driven operation to locate the captors and the victims through intelligence gathering and surveillance around the suspected hideout, deployment of drones to pinpoint the location of the camp, as well as coordinated tactical teams to secure the area and extract the hostages.
Though the abductors had earlier demanded for N1 billion ransom which they later reduced to N100 million, it was not clear as at the time of filing this report whether ransom was paid before their release or not.
