Security agencies have arrested five suspected members of the criminal gang allegedly responsible for the abduction of 20 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State, following coordinated operations across parts of the South-East and South-South.
The arrests were made during intelligence-driven raids conducted by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigerian military and the police in Rivers and Abia states between October 10 and 14, according to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).
Three additional suspects reportedly escaped during the operations, sustaining varying degrees of injuries.
The incident dates back to October 1, when armed men intercepted two 18-seater buses conveying passengers from Ibadan, Oyo State, and abducted the travellers. The buses, reportedly bearing Abia State Government markings, were heading towards Akwa Ibom and Abia states.
Imo State Police spokesperson Henry Okoye had disclosed that the attack occurred at approximately 6:30 a.m., with 10 victims rescued shortly after the incident.
The abduction subsequently triggered ransom demands from the kidnappers, who initially requested ₦1 billion from the victims’ families before reducing the amount to ₦5 million per person, bringing the total demand for the 20 victims to ₦100 million.
On October 7, police spokesperson Anietie Iniedu announced that a joint security team had rescued the abducted corps members following sustained search-and-rescue operations in Amakohia Ubi village, Imo State.
However, questions emerged over the circumstances surrounding the rescue after Alirat Wahab, the mother of one of the victims, told News Central Television that her family paid ₦6 million to secure her son’s freedom.
The account differed from the security agencies’ announcement that the victims had been rescued through coordinated operations. Wahab and her husband, Obasanjo, later said the money contributed by their family towards the ransom had been refunded.
The latest arrests represent a further development in the investigation, although the identities of the five suspects and the specific roles they allegedly played in the abduction were not disclosed in the report.
