By Sophia Afolabi
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the military and the police have arrested five suspected members of a criminal gang allegedly behind the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State on Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day.
Three other suspected gang members reportedly escaped with gunshot injuries, triggering an intensified manhunt to apprehend them.
The arrests followed intelligence-driven operations conducted at various locations in Rivers and Abia states between October 10 and 14, according to security sources.
The arrests followed the abduction of 20 prospective corps members by armed men along the Owerri–Onitsha Expressway in Imo State on October 1, 2026, as they travelled to their assigned orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The victims were rescued on October 7, 2026, during a joint security operation at Amakohia Ubi Village.
The latest operations are considered a significant breakthrough in efforts to apprehend those behind the abduction, dismantle the criminal network and ensure that the suspects face justice.
A security source described the arrests as a major relief, noting that security agencies had sustained an extensive manhunt for the suspected abductors.
“This is a huge sigh of relief. Security agencies have been on a manhunt for the abductors, and we are elated that they have been captured. We strongly believe they will be charged to Court by DSS and the corps members will get justice,” the source said.
