By TalkJudith
Twenty prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), abducted by gunmen along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State, have regained their freedom following a joint rescue operation by security agencies.
The victims were kidnapped on Thursday, October 1, 2026, when gunmen attacked two buses conveying prospective corps members and other passengers near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of the state. They were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The rescue operation involved operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the military and the police. Another passenger abducted alongside the corps members was also freed.
The victims are currently receiving medical attention at a DSS medical facility in Owerri, seven days after their abduction.
Before the rescue, the Imo State Police Command reportedly located the kidnappers’ camp through drone surveillance
