The Imo State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and other passengers after gunmen attacked two buses travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in the South-east and South-south.
The command in a statement signed by its Police Public Relations Officer, Okoye Henry, said the attack occurred at about 6:30 a.m. on Thursday along the Owerri-Onitsha Road near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
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According to the police, the two buses were carrying prospective corps members and other passengers travelling to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Bende, Abia State, respectively.
The command said 10 victims were rescued at the scene following the intervention of the police and other security agencies, while the exact number of people still in captivity was being verified.
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“The rescued victims are in safe hands and are being attended to. The exact number of persons abducted is being verified and will be made public once confirmed,” the statement read.
Mr Henry said the police would sustain the operation until all victims were safely recovered and the suspected abductors arrested.
The command also said it was working with the NYSC authorities to contact the families of affected corps members and keep them informed as the rescue operation progresses.
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“Operatives are conducting coordinated search and rescue operations, backed by intelligence-led tracking of the suspects.
“The Commissioner of Police, alongside other Service Commanders, visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment and to give operational direction. He assured the public that the Command will sustain the operation until all victims are safely recovered and the suspects are brought to justice.”
The development came amid frantic efforts by families of prospective corps members to establish the whereabouts of their loved ones.
Parents cry for help
The abduction has triggered panic among families of the affected prospective corps members, with some relatives appealing to security agencies and the federal government to intensify efforts to rescue their loved ones.
One parent, whose daughter was among those travelling to an orientation camp in Abia State, said in video that she received a distress message from her daughter early Thursday morning.
According to the parent, the daughter had been sharing her live location with the family through a WhatsApp group as she travelled from Ibadan.
The parent said the daughter suddenly sent the word “kidnapper” to the family group shortly after 6:00 a.m. prompting relatives to immediately call her phone.
The calls initially went through, but she did not answer before the phone eventually became unreachable, the parent said.
“She quickly typed ‘kidnapper’, and we tried to call immediately to see what happened. Since then, she has been offline,” the parent said in an appeal for help.
The parent said family members later learnt that passengers and the driver of the bus had been taken away, while some passengers travelling in another bus managed to escape.
READ ALSO: NYSC punishes 27 corps members in Osun
Fresh concern over safety of corps members
The Imo incident has renewed concerns about the safety of prospective corps members travelling long distances to their orientation camps.
The development comes weeks after another highway attack in which corps members were among people abducted by gunmen in Kogi State.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the attack occurred on 26 August around Ogene Zaria, near the Ogene Zaria-Onicha-Igo junction, along the Aloma-Egane Expressway.
The police later said 11 people, including corps members, were rescued following a joint security operation.
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