Twenty prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and one civilian abducted in Imo State were successfully rescued on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, following a joint, intelligence-driven operation by the Nigerian Armed Forces, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Police Force, and allied security formations.
​The victims were rescued from a kidnappers’ hideout deep inside the Amakohia-Ubi forest in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State. The victims were initially ambushed and abducted on October 1, 2026, while traveling in two commercial buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Road, near Umunoha community in Mbaitoli Local Government Area.
The prospective corps members were en route from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their designated NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen intercepted their vehicles.
​The abductors subsequently demanded a ransom of ₦50 million for each victim.
​Following the ambush, security agencies deployed advanced tactical assets, including drone surveillance, armored personnel carriers (APCs), and heavy earth-moving equipment, to locate the perpetrators. Early containment efforts were hindered by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted around the perimeter of the kidnappers’ stronghold.
​Leveraging actionable intelligence gathered by joint forces, security operatives breached the location on Wednesday morning, securing the safe release of all 21 hostages without casualties.
​Following their release, the victims were immediately transported to the DSS Hospital facility in Owerri, where they are receiving comprehensive medical attention and psychological evaluation.
​Speaking to the rescued victims during a visit to the DSS facility on Wednesday afternoon, the Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, commended the bravery and operational synergy displayed by the task force.
​”We are profoundly grateful to our security forces for their courageous, tireless efforts. The safety of our prospective corps members remains paramount, and we extend our deep gratitude to the affected families for their patience and resilience throughout this ordeal,” Nafiu stated.
​Brigadier General Nafiu was joined at the facility by key military and security chiefs who coordinated the field operations, including Brigadier General (Commander), 34 Artillery Brigade, Obinze, State Director, Department of State Services (DSS), Imo State Command and Commissioner of Police, Imo State Police Command.
​Security agencies affirmed that mop-up operations remain ongoing across the Amakohia-Ubi axis to apprehend fleeing members of the criminal network and restore complete stability to the transit corridors of the South-East region.
