Rescued NYSC Members: No Ransom Paid, Says Imo CP

Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, has denied reports that ransom was paid before 20 abducted prospective National Youth Service Corps members and another victim were released.

Bosso, who spoke during an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, said the abductors released the victims after coming under sustained pressure from security agencies conducting a search-and-rescue operation.

He said security operatives combed the forest in an effort to locate and rescue the victims, forcing the kidnappers to abandon them.

The police commissioner added that the rescued victims were receiving attention at the office of the Department of State Services.

The 20 prospective corps members and another individual were abducted on October 1 along the Owerri-Onitsha Road while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

Following the incident, security agencies launched a coordinated operation to locate the victims and their abductors.

The police had earlier reported that drone surveillance helped operatives identify the kidnappers’ camp. However, the operation was delayed after the location was reportedly found to have been mined with improvised explosive devices.

Additional security assets were subsequently deployed as the search intensified.

The abduction sparked concern among the victims’ families after reports emerged that the kidnappers demanded N50m for each victim. Police had earlier confirmed the rescue of 10 victims while efforts continued to locate the others.

The remaining victims were eventually released from the Amakohia-Ubi forest in Owerri West Local Government Area on Wednesday following a coordinated security operation.

They have since been taken to safety and are receiving medical attention.