Families of prospective National Youth Service Corps members caught up in the abduction of travellers along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State have been thrown into anxiety after the kidnappers reportedly demanded a total of N950 million for the release of 19 graduates.
The victims were among passengers travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to different NYSC orientation camps in the South-East and South-South when armed men intercepted two buses near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State on the morning of Thursday, October 1, 2026.
The Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, Isiah Akpan, whose company operated the affected buses, said the abductors demanded N50 million for each of the 19 victims.
However, the Imo State Police Command said it was still verifying the exact number of people taken away during the attack. The command confirmed that 10 victims had been rescued and that both buses had been recovered.
The incident occurred at about 6:30am on October 1, according to the police, when the two buses conveying NYSC members and other passengers were attacked along the Owerri-Onitsha Road at Umunoha.
The buses were travelling to Uyo in Akwa Ibom State and Bende in Abia State, respectively.
Akpan said the journey began at Bodija/Samonda Park in Ibadan on Wednesday, September 30, with the buses carrying passengers heading to their various destinations.
He explained that heavy traffic around Benin, Edo State, slowed the journey considerably, causing the vehicles to arrive in Onitsha, Anambra State, much later than expected.
Because of the condition of the road and the late hour, the drivers and passengers reportedly spent the night in Oba before continuing the journey the following morning.
Akpan said the buses departed Oba at about 5am on Thursday and had barely entered Imo State when the attackers emerged from the bush.
He said the gunmen blocked the two vehicles and forced 19 passengers, whom he identified as corps members, into the surrounding bush.
The drivers, according to him, succeeded in escaping and alerted security personnel at a nearby checkpoint. The development prompted security agencies to commence a search operation for the abducted travellers.
Akpan, however, said the operation encountered an initial setback after some villagers allegedly prevented security personnel from immediately moving the abandoned buses from the scene.
The vehicles were eventually recovered, with passengers’ belongings reportedly left scattered inside.
The Imo State Police Command subsequently announced that 10 victims had been rescued following a coordinated operation involving the police and other security agencies.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Henry Okoye, said tactical teams and other operational assets had been deployed to locate the remaining victims and track down the attackers.
According to the police, the rescued victims were safe and receiving attention, while efforts were continuing to establish the actual number of people still missing.
The command said the Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, and other security commanders visited the scene to assess the situation and direct the rescue operation.
Police also said the affected portion of the road had been reopened and security personnel deployed to protect other travellers.
As security agencies intensified the search, some families of the missing graduates reportedly received calls from the abductors.
One parent, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said the kidnappers contacted her using her son’s telephone and demanded N50 million for his release. She said the amount demanded was specifically for her son.
Another parent, Mrs Oladosu, said her daughter, Greatness, was travelling to Uyo when the attack occurred, adding that the abductors used Greatness’ phone to contact the family and the relatives were able to see her and other victims during a video call.
Oladosu said the victims were seen sitting on the ground in the bush and appealing for help, expressing concern about the ability of ordinary families to raise the amount being demanded by the kidnappers.
The mother of another victim, Mrs Alimotu Akanke, also described the moments of uncertainty after she learnt that her son, Akande Farouq, had been caught up in the incident.
Farouq, who was reportedly travelling to Abia State for his NYSC orientation programme, managed to send a brief message to his family’s WhatsApp group after the attack. The message contained just one word: “Kidnappers!”
His telephone line subsequently became unreachable, leaving the family uncertain about his whereabouts.
A passenger manifest reportedly showed 30 passengers across the two affected vehicles, with 15 passengers listed for each bus.
Two other buses operated by the same transport company and also travelling towards Abia State reportedly escaped the attack.
Names contained on the manifest included Akande Kehinde, Olaleye Mary, Oladosu Greatness, Obafunsho Rhoda, Abdulrof Anifat, Esther Oyede, Hassan Usman, Ayomide Isa, Mary Makinde, Azeez Adejoke, and Abdulrazaq Anifat.
The Oyo State Government has condemned the abduction and said it was working with relevant authorities to secure the victims’ safe return.
The Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, said the state government was communicating with security agencies, the Imo State Government and the leadership of the NYSC over the incident.
He said Governor Seyi Makinde had directed that necessary resources be deployed towards securing the victims’ release.
Oyelade said the safety of Oyo indigenes remained a priority for the state government, including those travelling or residing outside the state.
The government also appealed for calm among the affected families while urging security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue those still in captivity and apprehend the perpetrators.
The Imo incident has renewed concerns over the safety of young graduates travelling across the country for NYSC orientation programmes.
The latest attack came just over a month after 15 prospective corps members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja were abducted along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State on August 26.
Security forces later rescued the victims and other persons held in Egume Forest. Other corps members have also been caught up in kidnapping incidents in different parts of the country.
In May, Abuja-based lawyer and corps member Eunice Ameh was abducted in Maitama, Abuja, before later regaining her freedom after a ransom was reportedly paid.
In January, corps member Musa Abba was reportedly abducted while travelling to Sokoto, while Lateefah Binuyo, who was kidnapped in Kogi State while travelling to an orientation camp in Taraba State, was released after 10 days in captivity.
In February 2023, 15 corps members abducted in Anambra State were rescued by the police. A corps member was also killed in 2022 during a gun battle between bandits and security operatives along the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway.
The repeated incidents have continued to raise questions about the safety of graduates travelling between states during NYSC mobilisation and deployment periods.
A 2023 report by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism cited at least 80 corps members as having been abducted between 2013 and 2023, with Rivers State accounting for about half of the reported cases. More recent reporting has also documented more than 20 deaths involving corps members in various attacks between 2015 and 2026.
For the families of those still missing in Imo, however, the immediate concern remains the safe return of their loved ones as security agencies continue the search for the abducted travellers.
