Security forces in south-eastern Nigeria have paused a direct assault on an armed gang’s hideout after intelligence revealed that the camp where 20 abducted university graduates are being held has been heavily mined with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) were abducted on Thursday while travelling in two buses from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in the southeast. Gunmen intercepted the vehicles along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State, forcing passengers into the surrounding forest.
Speaking to journalists on Saturday, Imo State Police Commissioner Audu Bosso confirmed that drone surveillance had pinpointed the exact location of the hostages and their captors. However, ground forces held back after technical reports confirmed the perimeter was rigged with explosives.
The police command confirmed that heavy engineering equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers (APCs), is being deployed to breach the perimeter safely and execute a rescue mission without risking the lives of the hostages.
The incident has triggered heightened public anxiety and conflicting reports over the numbers involved:
- Contrasting Rescue Claims: Security agencies initially reported that 10 passengers were rescued during a swift tactical response. However, families of the victims disputed this account during a meeting with traditional leaders in Ibadan, clarifying that 10 passengers managed to escape into the bush during the initial attack, leaving 20 graduates in captivity.
- Massive Ransom Ultimatum: The kidnappers have issued a 24-hour deadline demanding a ransom of 50 million naira ($31,000) per head—totalling 1 billion naira ($620,000)—threatening to kill the hostages if the deadline elapses.
- Federal Intervention: Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu has deployed a high-level operational command team, led by Deputy Inspector-General Shehu Nadada, to oversee search-and-rescue assets in Imo State.
- Renewed Scrutiny of National Service: The attack has reignited fierce public debate over the mandatory one-year NYSC scheme, with political figures and civil society groups calling for the program’s suspension or restructuring to prevent young graduates from travelling across high-risk security corridors.
Joint operations involving the Nigerian Army, police tactical units, and regional authorities remain ongoing as security forces attempt to neutralize the explosive threats and secure the safe release of the hostages.
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