20 Abducted Prospective Corps Members Regain Freedom in Imo

Twenty prospective National Youth Service Corps members who were abducted while travelling from Oyo State to their orientation camps in the South-East have regained their freedom.

The graduates were kidnapped seven days ago along the Owerri–Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State, after gunmen attacked two buses conveying them from Ibadan.

The abductors were initially reported to have demanded ₦50 million for each victim, putting the total ransom at ₦1 billion. The demand was later reportedly reduced to ₦5 million per person, amounting to ₦100 million.

Following their release, the victims have been taken to the Department of State Services Hospital in Owerri, where they are currently receiving medical attention. The development comes after several days of intensified search-and-rescue efforts by security agencies and collaboration between the Oyo and Imo State governments.