Security operatives have located the camp where prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members kidnapped in Imo State are believed to be held, but a rescue operation has been delayed by fears of hidden explosives, according to the Imo State Police Command.
Police pinpoint kidnappers' camp with drones
Imo State Commissioner of Police Audu Garba Bosso said operatives tracked the suspected kidnappers into the bush and used drones on Friday to pinpoint their location. The camp is suspected to be planted with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), homemade explosives that can be hidden and triggered when people approach.
This has forced security agencies to slow their advance while they work out how to reach the victims without putting them in greater danger. Bosso said bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers were being prepared for the operation, while police spokesperson Henry Okoye said security operatives were closing in on the kidnappers.
Conflicting accounts of abduction numbers
The graduates were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states on October 1 when gunmen attacked two buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
The transport company previously said 19 prospective corps members were abducted, with a reported ransom demand of ₦50 million per person, or ₦950 million in total. However, the victims' parents say 20 prospective corps members remain in captivity and that the kidnappers are demanding ₦50 million for each person, bringing the total to ₦1 billion.
Parents also dispute the police's earlier claim that 10 victims were rescued. They say those 10 people escaped into the bush themselves during the attack, while 20 others were taken away. The Defence Headquarters previously said 20 passengers were abducted and 10 people, including eight prospective corps members, were rescued. The conflicting accounts mean the final number of people still in captivity has not been independently established.
IGP deploys DIG to coordinate rescue
Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu has deployed Deputy Inspector-General of Police Shehu Umar Nadada, who is in charge of Operations, to coordinate the rescue operation in Imo. Nadada has assured the families that security agencies are working to bring their loved ones home safely.
The Oyo State Government said on Sunday that it was working with the Imo State Government and security agencies to secure the release of 20 prospective corps members of Oyo origin.
For the families, the development means help may be closer than before but their children are still not home. One mother told PUNCH that she had been praying on a mountain for her son's safe return while the family tried to deal with the ransom demand. For now, security agencies say they have identified where the victims may be held, but the reported explosive threat means the rescue operation has to be carefully planned.
