19 NYSC Members Abducted in Imo

The abduction of prospective National Youth Service Corps members travelling to their orientation camps has renewed concerns over the safety of young graduates moving across states for national service.

Nineteen graduates travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, were reportedly seized by gunmen along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State on Thursday, with their abductors demanding a total ransom of N950m for their release.

The victims were travelling in two buses operated by Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited. The buses had left Ibadan and were heading towards orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom when they were attacked around Umunoha in Imo State.

According to the transport company, the buses had spent the night in Oba, Anambra State, after traffic delays affected their journey. They resumed around 5am the following morning before armed men emerged from the bush and blocked the vehicles.

The drivers reportedly escaped and alerted security personnel, while the passengers were taken into the bush. Police and military personnel subsequently launched a search operation, while the abandoned buses were recovered from the scene.

The development has left families of the affected graduates in distress, with some relatives reportedly contacted through the victims’ phones and asked to provide N50m for each person. One family was also able to see some of the abducted graduates during a video call.

The incident has drawn attention to the recurring vulnerability of prospective corps members during mobilisation periods. In recent months, other corps members have also been abducted while travelling to their states of deployment, including 15 prospective members who were seized in Kogi State in August before security forces rescued them.

The latest attack has also renewed calls for greater attention to the routes commonly used by corps members travelling to orientation camps. Beyond the immediate rescue effort, the incidents have raised questions about how mobilisation movements can be better coordinated with security agencies.

The financial dimension of the latest incident has further highlighted the growing ransom economy surrounding kidnapping in Nigeria. A recent security report estimated that N7.8bn was paid to kidnappers between July 2025 and June 2026, despite wider ransom demands running into tens of billions of naira.

For the families waiting for their children, however, the immediate priority remains the safe return of the abducted graduates as security agencies continue efforts to locate them and apprehend those responsible.

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