• Like in Oyo, Secret Service spearheads multi-agency operation—victims regain freedom after six-day ordeal, initial N1bn ransom demand
• Uzodimma hails security forces, phones Olubadan
By Jeremy Fregene
An intelligence-led operation spearheaded by the Department of State Services (DSS) has culminated in the rescue of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State, bringing a six-day multi-agency manhunt to a successful end.
The prospective corps members, alongside a civilian caught up in the incident, were recovered on Wednesday, October 7, around Amakohia Ubi Village following sustained operations involving the DSS, Nigerian Army, Police, and other security agencies.
Security sources said a critical element of the operation was intelligence developed by the DSS, including the geolocation of telephone numbers allegedly used by the kidnappers to contact families and negotiate ransom.
That intelligence was fed into a wider joint operation involving troops of the 34 Artillery Brigade, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and local vigilantes.
The victims were taken to a DSS medical facility in Owerri for assessment and treatment following their rescue.
NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, subsequently visited them at the DSS clinic in the company of the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the state Director of the DSS, and the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade.
The prospective corps members were abducted on October 1, Nigeria’s Independence Day, around Umunoha on the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Mbaitoli Local Government Area.
They were travelling in two commercial buses from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when the gunmen struck.
The abduction immediately triggered a coordinated security response, with troops and intelligence operatives combing suspected hideouts and forests along the axis.
As the search intensified, joint forces mounted offensive operations, including an early-morning push into Amakohia Forest on October 3.
The Inspector-General of Police also deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, DIG Shehu Umar Nadada, to Imo State to provide operational direction to the police component of the rescue effort.
Security sources said the kidnappers had contacted the families of seven of the victims using phones belonging to the abductees, initially demanding N50 million for each captive — potentially N1 billion for the 20 prospective corps members.
The demand was subsequently said to have been reduced to N5 million per victim, or N100 million collectively.
It was during these communications that DSS operatives reportedly geolocated telephone numbers used for the ransom negotiations, providing intelligence that assisted the joint forces in narrowing their search.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, confirmed that all 20 prospective corps members had been rescued.
“The Nigeria Police Force, in collaboration with sister security agencies, has rescued the 20 prospective NYSC corps members abducted in Imo State on 1st October 2026,” the police said.
According to the statement, the victims were rescued on October 7 at Amakohia Ubi Village “following sustained search-and-rescue operations” and were immediately taken for medical assessment and care.
The police said operations were continuing to identify, track, and arrest those responsible for the kidnapping.
“Efforts are ongoing to apprehend those responsible for the abduction, as the Police and other security agencies sustain coordinated operations towards bringing all culpable persons to justice,” the Force said.
Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, hailed the security agencies for what he described as their discreet collaboration and patriotism in securing the victims’ freedom.
The governor said the sensitive nature of the operation explained why authorities deliberately withheld operational details while the prospective corps members remained in captivity.
“Since the issue involved the security of lives, the government was cautious about releasing too much information to the public, hence the discreet manner in which it was handled,” Uzodimma said.
He also praised the cooperation between the Imo and Oyo state governments and thanked the victims’ parents for their patience throughout the ordeal.
Uzodimma later telephoned the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at about 5 p.m. on Wednesday to personally inform him that the prospective corps members had regained their freedom.
The monarch, who had been following developments surrounding the abduction, expressed relief at the news.
The successful operation underscored an increasingly intelligence-driven approach in which actionable information gathered by the DSS was combined with the firepower, manpower, and operational reach of the military, police, and other security services.
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