Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, has said he is not aware of any ransom payment made to secure the release of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in the state.
The victims were rescued on Wednesday, October 7, after spending seven days in captivity following their abduction along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State. Police said the rescue followed sustained search-and-rescue operations involving multiple security agencies.
Bosso said the operation was intelligence-led and involved coordination between the police, Department of State Services (DSS), military and other security agencies. He explained that security operatives identified the location where the victims were being held and moved in as part of the rescue operation.
The commissioner’s comments come amid conflicting accounts over how the NYSC members regained their freedom. While security agencies have attributed the release to the coordinated operation, reports from some relatives alleged that ransom was paid before the victims were released.
The conflicting accounts have raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the rescue and whether any ransom changed hands. The police have not publicly confirmed that a ransom was paid, while families have continued to provide differing accounts of negotiations with the abductors.
The 20 prospective corps members were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom when gunmen attacked the vehicles carrying them on October 1. Earlier in the operation, police said a suspected kidnappers’ camp had been located through drone surveillance but that security personnel faced an alleged improvised explosive device threat.
The rescued victims have since been taken to a DSS facility in Owerri for medical assessment and necessary care. Authorities say efforts are ongoing to identify and arrest those responsible for the abduction.
The incident has renewed concerns over the safety of young Nigerians travelling long distances for NYSC deployment and the wider security challenges facing major highways in the South-East.
