Twenty prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and another person abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State have regained their freedom following a coordinated operation by security agencies.
The victims were rescued on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at Amakohia-Ubi in Owerri West Local Government Area, six days after they were abducted while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, towards NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. The Nigeria Police Force confirmed the rescue in a statement issued by its Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu.
The rescued group includes 20 prospective corps members and one other passenger. While the police statement specifically confirmed the rescue of the 20 prospective NYSC members, reports from Channels Television, The Guardian and other Nigerian media identified an additional person among those rescued.
The victims were taken to the Department of State Services (DSS) Hospital in Owerri for medical assessment and necessary care. The NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, visited the facility and met with the rescued victims. He was accompanied by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the state Director of the DSS and the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade.
The abduction occurred on October 1, when gunmen attacked two buses travelling along the Owerri-Onitsha route near Umunoha in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. The buses were carrying prospective corps members travelling from Ibadan to their respective orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom.
The attack prompted a search-and-rescue operation involving the police and other security agencies. Earlier in the operation, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, had deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Umar Nadada, alongside two commissioners of police, to Imo State to coordinate efforts to locate the abducted passengers.
The rescue was eventually carried out at Amakohia-Ubi after sustained operations. The police said the victims were immediately taken for medical assessment following their recovery.
“Efforts are ongoing to apprehend those responsible for the abduction,” the Force said, adding that security agencies would continue coordinated operations to bring those responsible to justice.
The police have not announced any arrests in connection with the abduction. Authorities have also not publicly disclosed whether any ransom was paid to secure the victims’ release.
The development brings relief to the families of the prospective corps members, who had been seeking their safe return since the attack. The incident had also raised concerns about the safety of young Nigerians travelling to orientation camps ahead of the commencement of their national service.
The rescue comes as security agencies continue to face kidnapping threats along major highways in parts of southeastern Nigeria. In this case, the authorities have not released details of the intelligence or operational tactics that led to the victims’ recovery.
The immediate priority, according to the police, is the medical assessment and care of the rescued victims while efforts continue to identify and arrest those behind the abduction.
The authorities’ confirmation also clarifies the status of the prospective corps members, who had remained missing since the October 1 attack. However, the circumstances surrounding the abduction, the identities of the perpetrators and whether anyone assisted them remain matters for the ongoing investigation.