Security agencies have delayed an immediate raid on a suspected kidnappers’ camp in Imo State where prospective National Youth Service Corps members are believed to be held after intelligence indicated that the hideout had been planted with improvised explosive devices.
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, disclosed this on Saturday, saying security operatives had traced the abductors to a location in the bush using drones.
Bosso said the security team could not immediately advance to the location because of the reported presence of IEDs, adding that authorities were preparing to deploy bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers to support the rescue operation.
According to him, operatives had trailed the kidnappers into the bush before deploying drones that successfully identified their suspected location.
The police spokesperson in the state, Henry Okoye, also said security personnel were closing in on the kidnappers and had been briefed on how to safely proceed with the operation.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, had earlier deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, alongside two commissioners of police, to strengthen the rescue efforts in Imo State.
The prospective corps members were travelling in two buses from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen attacked them along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State, on Thursday.
However, conflicting accounts have emerged over the number of people abducted and those rescued during the attack.
Parents dispute rescue claim
Parents of the affected prospective corps members have disputed the police claim that 10 passengers were rescued during the attack.
The parents told PUNCH that the 10 passengers described as rescued by security agencies actually escaped from the kidnappers by running into the bush.
They maintained that 20 prospective corps members were still in captivity as of Saturday.
The families said 30 passengers were travelling in the two buses when the gunmen attacked, with 10 managing to escape while 20 were taken into the bush.
The account differs from the earlier position of the Imo State Police Command, which said 10 victims had been rescued following the intervention of security agencies.
The Defence Headquarters subsequently stated that 20 passengers were abducted while 10 people, including eight prospective corps members, were rescued.
The conflicting figures have raised concerns over the exact number of victims still being held by the kidnappers.
Kidnappers demand N1bn ransom
The families are also facing pressure from the abductors, who reportedly demanded N50m for each of the 20 victims.
The demand amounts to N1bn, with the kidnappers reportedly giving the families a 24-hour deadline to raise the money.
The parents said the abductors contacted them using the mobile phones of some of the kidnapped graduates and threatened to harm the victims if the ransom was not paid.
The families have appealed to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, the Oyo State Government and security agencies to intervene before the deadline expires.
The parents raised the matter during a meeting with the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, in Ibadan on Saturday.
Ladoja assured the families that security agencies were working to rescue the victims safely.
The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, also said he had been in contact with his Imo State counterpart, who assured him that efforts were underway to rescue the victims unhurt.
The Oyo State Government has also condemned the abduction, saying Governor Seyi Makinde directed that necessary resources be deployed to support efforts to secure the release of the victims.
Mother turns to prayer
Amid the uncertainty, one of the victims’ mothers said she had resorted to prayer while the family struggled to raise the ransom demanded by the kidnappers.
The woman, who spoke anonymously, said she was at a prayer mountain seeking divine intervention for her son’s safe return.
She said the family had been unable to sleep since learning of the abduction and had remained hopeful that their son would return safely.
The latest incident adds to growing concerns over the safety of corps members and prospective corps members travelling between states for national service.
Sowore calls for NYSC suspension
Reacting to the incident, the African Action Congress presidential candidate for the 2027 election, Omoyele Sowore, called for the immediate suspension and eventual scrapping of the NYSC scheme.
Sowore argued that requiring young Nigerians to travel long distances for compulsory national service had exposed them to unnecessary security risks.
He proposed that corps members should, in the interim, be allowed to serve within their states of origin.
He also advocated replacing the NYSC with a voluntary National Job Corps focused on employment, skills development, public works, technology, agriculture, healthcare and education.
Source: PUNCH
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