Twenty members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have reportedly been abducted by gunmen while travelling to orientation camps in Nigeria’s South-East and South-South regions. The corps members were said to be travelling in a commercial bus from Ibadan, Oyo State, when the vehicle was intercepted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
Imo State Police Public Relations Officer Henry Okoye confirmed the incident on Thursday, saying the victims were on their way to different orientation camps when they were stopped. Police Commissioner Audu Bosso reportedly visited the scene, while security personnel began searching surrounding bushes and possible escape routes; a Rapid Response Team was also deployed to locate the attackers and secure the safe release of the corps members.
The incident follows another highway abduction in Kogi State on August 26, when gunmen reportedly blocked two buses along the Aloma-Egane Expressway near the Ogene Zaria-Onicha-Igo Junction. Some passengers, including corps members, were abducted but were later rescued from Egume Forest in Ofu Local Government Area on August 31 after a joint operation involving security agencies. The latest incident has renewed concerns about the safety of corps members and other travellers using major inter-state highways.
