Gunmen have abducted 19 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members travelling to their orientation camps and demanded a total of N950 million for their release, at N50 million per person. The attack occurred on Thursday, October 1, along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State, according to The Punch.
The victims were aboard two buses operated by Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, heading to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. The company's managing director, Isiah Akpan, said the two buses departed from Bodija/Samonda Park in Ibadan on Wednesday, September 30, but were slowed by traffic near Benin, Edo State.
How the Abduction Unfolded
The vehicles arrived in Onitsha, Anambra State, late that evening and could not continue because of poor road conditions, forcing drivers and passengers to spend the night in Oba. The buses resumed the journey at about 5 am on Thursday. Shortly after crossing into Imo State, armed men emerged from the bush, blocked both vehicles, and dragged 19 passengers into the forest.
The drivers managed to escape and raised the alarm at a nearby security checkpoint, prompting a joint police and military search of the area. Akpan said the rescue operation was initially delayed after some villagers allegedly stopped security personnel from moving the abandoned buses from the scene, allowing the abductors more time to flee. Passengers' belongings remained scattered inside the vehicles.
Families Receive Ransom Calls
The abductors contacted relatives using the victims' own phones. One mother, who did not give her name for security reasons, said the kidnappers called her through her son's phone on Friday morning demanding N50 million for his release alone. Another parent, Mrs Oladosu, whose daughter Greatness was on her way to Uyo, said the family received a video call showing Greatness and other corps members sitting on the ground in the bush, visibly distressed.
"Where will petty traders get N50m? They are just going to serve Nigeria; why this punishment?" she said. A separate video obtained by The Punch showed Mrs Alimotu Akanke, mother of Akande Farouq, saying her son had sent a single word, "Kidnappers!", to the family WhatsApp group before his phone went silent. Farouq had been posted to Abia State.
Rescue Efforts and Government Response
The Imo State Police Command said on Thursday night that 10 victims had been rescued, though spokesman Henry Okoye could not confirm whether those rescued were among the abducted corps members. The Oyo State Government condemned the abduction, with Commissioner for Information Dotun Oyelade saying Governor Seyi Makinde had directed all necessary resources be deployed to secure the victims' release.
"We are fully committed to securing the safe release of our children and will stop at nothing to ensure that they are reunited with their families without harm," the statement read. Security analyst Chidi Omeje said criminal networks appeared to be exploiting the predictable movement of graduates during NYSC deployment periods and called on the federal government to strengthen security along known kidnapping corridors.
Security expert Olalekan Jackson-Ojo went further, suggesting corps members be allowed to serve within their home states or regions rather than being sent to high-risk locations, warning that failure to reform the deployment policy could eventually threaten the scheme's survival.
Previous Attacks and NYSC Schedule
This attack came 36 days after 15 prospective corps members were abducted along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Kogi State on August 26 and subsequently rescued from Egume Forest. A 2023 report by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism found that at least 80 corps members were abducted between 2013 and 2023, with Rivers State accounting for half the cases.
In other news, the NYSC has fixed Wednesday, November 4, 2026, as the start date for the 2026 Batch C Stream II Orientation Course. Caroline Embu, Director of Information and Public Relations, said registration of corps members will run from Wednesday, November 4 to midnight on Friday, November 6, 2026. Embu said the Swearing-in Ceremony is also scheduled to hold on November 6, the same day registration closes.
