Prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State have allegedly been beaten by their captors, who reportedly cut the ransom from ₦50 million to ₦5 million per victim.
The latest development emerged on Sunday, October 4, 2026, after Alimot Akande, a relative of one of the victims, said the captors had also assaulted female detainees.
The victims were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom when gunmen attacked two buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Mbaitoli Local Government Area, on Thursday, October 1.
Police said 10 people were rescued after the attack, while the number abducted was initially being verified. Families later said 20 prospective corps members remained in captivity, amid differing official accounts.
READ ALSO: Police Rescue 10 As Gunmen Abduct NYSC Members In Imo
Security operatives have traced the suspected hideout using drone surveillance. Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, said an assault on the location was delayed by intelligence that explosives had been planted around the camp.
He said bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers were being deployed to support the rescue operation. Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu also deployed Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Umar Nadada, and other senior officers to Imo.
The incident comes weeks after 15 NYSC members were among 21 people abducted in Kogi State on August 26. All 21 were rescued from a forest in Ofu Local Government Area on August 31.
As of Sunday, October 4, authorities had yet to announce the recovery of all those still missing in Imo.