Gunmen have kidnapped 20 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members along the Owerri–Onitsha Road, near the Umunoha community in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. The corps members were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to various orientation camps across South-East and South-South states when armed men intercepted their commercial bus.
Police Commissioner Visits Scene, Confirms Incident
Imo State Police spokesperson Henry Okoye confirmed the incident in a telephone conversation with Channels Television. He said the Police Commissioner, Audu Bosso, had personally visited the scene to assess the situation. Okoye added that security operatives were combing surrounding bushes and that a Rapid Response Team had been deployed to track the kidnappers and secure the release of the abducted corps members unhurt and unconditionally.
The commissioner's visit was accompanied by a broader mobilisation of security forces across the area. Okoye said the police and other security agencies had stepped up efforts in response to the abduction, though no arrests had been announced at the time.
Similar Attack in Kogi State Weeks Earlier
The latest attack comes weeks after a similar incident on the Aloma–Egane Expressway, where gunmen blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions near Ogene Zaria Junction on August 26, abducting some passengers while others fled into the bush. That attack took place at about 4:40 p.m.
Eleven people, including an unidentified number of corps members, were later rescued on August 31 by a joint security operation involving the police, military, Department of State Services, and local vigilantes. Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, told journalists that the victims were recovered from Egume Forest in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Presidential Commendation for Earlier Rescue
President Bola Tinubu commended the earlier rescue, describing it as "a well-coordinated Search and Rescue operation carried out by a combined team of personnel from the military, the Nigerian Police Force, the Department of State Services, and local vigilantes," adding that all eight male and 13 female abductees were safely freed from the forests of Ofu.
Previously, Legit.ng reported that at least five miners were shot dead and two others wounded after gunmen stormed a mining site in Marit village, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, on Saturday, July 26, 2026. The attack occurred around 1pm amid mounting tension in several parts of the state.
