Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the military and the police have arrested five suspected members of a criminal gang allegedly responsible for abducting 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State.
The arrests followed intelligence-led operations conducted between October 10 and 14, 2026, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State. Three other suspects reportedly escaped during the operations with gunshot injuries, prompting security agencies to intensify efforts to track them down.
The victims were abducted on October 1, Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day, while travelling along the Owerri–Onitsha Expressway to their assigned orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. Armed men reportedly intercepted the buses conveying the prospective corps members and took them away.
The 20 victims were eventually rescued on October 7 during a joint security operation at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State. They were subsequently taken for medical attention and necessary checks.
A security source described the latest arrests as a major breakthrough, noting that security agencies had sustained a manhunt for the suspected abductors following the incident.
The source expressed hope that the arrested suspects would be charged to court and that the victims would obtain justice.
Security operatives are continuing efforts to apprehend the fleeing suspects as investigations into the abduction proceed. The authorities have yet to publicly disclose the identities of the arrested suspects or details of their individual roles in the alleged crime.
