Gunmen have abducted at least 20 corps members serving under the National Youth Service Corps along the Owerri–Onitsha Road by Umunoha community in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State .
Confirming the incident in a telephone conversation with Channels Television, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Imo State Police Command, Henry Okoye, said the corps members were reportedly travelling in a commercial bus from Ibadan, Oyo State, to different orientation camps in the South-East and South-South states when they were intercepted by the gunmen .
He said the Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment, while the police and other security agencies have intensified efforts to rescue the victims unhurt and unconditionally .
Okoye added that security operatives were currently combing surrounding bushes, while a Rapid Response Team had also been deployed to track down the kidnappers and secure the safe release of the corps members .
According to reports, the corps members were travelling to their assigned orientation camps in states across the South-East and South-South, including Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Imo and Abia . The 2026 Batch C Stream One orientation exercise commenced on September 30 .
An eyewitness who spoke in a video from the location said the attackers intercepted two buses, robbed the passengers and subsequently took them into the bush .
“This happened this morning. They robbed two vehicles coming from Lagos. They took all the passengers into the bush,” the eyewitness said .
The eyewitness also reported that police officers had arrived at the location while soldiers entered the bush in an attempt to locate and rescue the abducted passengers .
A distraught mother who appeared in a video following the attack said her daughter, identified as Kehinde, was among those abducted. According to the mother, Kehinde and her twin sister, Taiwo, had left home to report for their respective NYSC orientation programmes .
Taiwo, who was posted to Enugu State, successfully reached her orientation camp. Kehinde, however, was travelling towards Akwa Ibom State when communication with her family suddenly stopped .
The mother said Kehinde and other travellers departed Samonda in Ibadan at about 9:00 am on Wednesday, September 30. The travellers spent the night in Imo State before continuing their journey early Thursday morning .
Shortly after 6:00 am, Kehinde reportedly sent a brief message to the family’s WhatsApp group. The message contained a single word: “Kidnapper.” She also reportedly placed a missed call before her telephone became unreachable .
“Nigerians help me. My child left home for NYSC camp and alerted our family WhatsApp group, typing ‘Kidnapper,'” the woman said .
She appealed directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu to intervene and secure the release of her daughter and the other abducted passengers. “We learnt my child, Kehinde, and the whole passengers and driver have been abducted. I’ve not been able to speak to my child,” she said .
The incident came weeks after the police said that 11 people, including an unidentified number of corps members, were rescued after gunmen attacked vehicles along the Aloma–Egane Expressway. The victims were rescued by joint security forces from Egume Forest in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State on August 31 .
