By Rareview
With reports from our correspondents in Owerri, Ibadan and Abuja
Security agencies have located the suspected forest hideout where prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) abducted in Imo State are being held, but fears that the camp has been rigged with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have delayed a direct rescue operation.
The development came as anxiety deepened among families of the abducted graduates, with relatives alleging that some of the captives were being beaten by their abductors.
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, disclosed the location of the suspected camp while briefing journalists on the search-and-rescue operation.
Bosso said operatives had tracked the abductors into the bush before deploying drones to establish the location of their hideout.
“Any moment, we’ll still move into the bush. Yesterday, we were in the bush; we trailed them up to a particular location,” he said.
“But at that point in time, we couldn’t move into where the coordinates showed us they were because we ran drones yesterday. And the drone actually showed us exactly their location.
“But our predicament is that with the intel we have, the camp is mined with IEDs.”
The police commissioner said security agencies were preparing to deploy heavy equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers, in an effort to reach the victims without putting their lives or those of the rescuers at unnecessary risk.
“We are moving in there with high, you know, high-velocity vehicles, that is, bulldozers; we’re moving in with bulldozers and APCs to see how we’re going to rescue these victims unhurt,” Bosso added. IGP Sends Reinforcements
The development followed the deployment of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Umar Nadada, to Imo State by the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu.
Disu also deployed two commissioners of police to reinforce the operation.
Nadada arrived in Imo with the senior officers and conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the search-and-rescue operation, reviewing the deployment of personnel, operational strategy and equipment.
The police said the operation had since been intensified, with additional tactical teams and operational assets deployed to identified areas based on intelligence-led tracking of the abductors.
The police are also working with other security agencies in an effort to rescue the victims and arrest those responsible for the attack.
Nadada assured the public that the police would sustain the operation until the abducted persons were safely recovered, while urging members of the public with credible information to contact security agencies.
How the Abduction Happened
The prospective corps members were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when two buses conveying them came under attack along the Owerri-Onitsha Road, around Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, on October 1.
The buses were operated by Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited.
The company’s Managing Director, Isiah Akpan, said the vehicles had left Ibadan on Wednesday but were delayed by heavy traffic around Benin, Edo State, before reaching Onitsha.
According to him, the buses resumed their journey at about 5 a.m. the following day but had barely entered Imo State when armed men emerged from the bush, blocked the vehicles and took passengers into the bush.
The drivers reportedly escaped and alerted security personnel at a nearby checkpoint.
Police subsequently recovered the buses and launched a search operation.
The Imo State Police Command initially announced that 10 people had been rescued, while saying it was still verifying the exact number of persons abducted.
That account has since been disputed by relatives, who said some of those described as “rescued” had actually escaped into the bush themselves.
Ransom Demand Changes
The abduction has also been complicated by conflicting figures over the number of victims and the ransom being demanded.
The Imo police commissioner referred to 19 prospective corps members believed to be in the kidnappers’ camp, while the IGP’s statement referred to 20 abducted persons.
Families, however, have consistently maintained that 20 prospective corps members remain in captivity.
The ransom demand has also changed.
The families said the abductors initially demanded ₦50 million for each of the 20 victims, amounting to ₦1 billion, and gave them a 24-hour deadline to produce the money.
However, reports on Monday said the demand had subsequently been reduced to ₦5 million per victim, or ₦100 million altogether. Relatives said the reduction had not brought relief because the victims were still being held.
Some relatives have also alleged that the abducted graduates, including female victims, were being physically assaulted.
One of the relatives, Alhaja Alimot Akande, said the abductors had reduced the demand but continued to hold the victims.
“The kidnappers had reduced their demand from the earlier N50m per victim to N5m each,” she said. “They are still demanding N5m. They have come down to N5m each.”
Families Seek Help
The victims’ parents have appealed to authorities and traditional leaders for urgent intervention.
The families visited the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, in Ibadan, seeking his intervention in securing the release of their children.
The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, was also present during the meeting.
The parents said they were particularly distressed by reports that their children were being beaten and by the uncertainty surrounding the government’s rescue efforts.
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has also called for an urgent, coordinated operation involving the police, Army, Department of State Services and Nigerian Air Force.
The group urged authorities to deploy personnel trained in hostage rescue and explosive ordnance disposal, while cautioning against an assault that could endanger the captives.
Security Challenge
The incident has renewed concerns over the safety of young Nigerians travelling to NYSC orientation camps, particularly as the scheme requires graduates to travel outside their home states for national service.
The latest operation presents security agencies with a delicate task: they have apparently located the suspected camp but must contend with the reported presence of explosives before attempting to reach the captives.
For the families, the priority remains the same — that their children should be brought home alive.
The police have said the search-and-rescue operation will continue until the abducted persons are recovered.