The operation to free the abducted graduates has entered a tense new phase, with security agencies closing in on the kidnappers while exercising extreme caution over explosives reportedly planted around their hideout.
Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, said security operatives tracked the kidnappers deep into the bush and used drones to pinpoint the location where the victims are believed to be held.
But the planned advance was halted after intelligence indicated that the camp had been heavily mined with improvised explosive devices.
“Any moment, we’ll still move into the bush,” Bosso said, explaining that operatives had followed the kidnappers to the location identified by the drones.
He said security agencies were preparing bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers to enter the area and attempt to bring the victims out alive.
Police spokesman Henry Okoye said the security forces were “closing in on the kidnappers” and that personnel involved in the operation had been briefed on how to proceed.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has also escalated the operation, deploying the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, alongside two commissioners of police to Imo State.
Nadada arrived in the state on Friday and reviewed the personnel, operational strategy and equipment deployed for the rescue mission.
Parents challenge official rescue account
As security forces close in, however, confusion continues over the exact number of victims still in captivity.
Parents of the prospective corps members have rejected claims that 10 passengers were rescued after the attack.
According to the families, those 10 people escaped from the kidnappers themselves by fleeing into the bush.
The parents insist that **20 prospective corps members remain in captivity**.
They said 30 people were travelling in the two buses when gunmen struck along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State, on Thursday. Ten allegedly escaped, while the remaining 20 were taken into the bush.
The families said they first learnt of the attack through social media and later struggled to obtain an accurate passenger manifest from the transport company.
They also accused the company of refusing to make the drivers of the two buses, who reportedly escaped, available to them.
The account conflicts with earlier statements from security authorities.
The Imo State Police Command initially announced that 10 victims had been rescued, while the Defence Headquarters later said 20 passengers were abducted and 10 people—including eight prospective corps members—were rescued.
The conflicting accounts have left families desperate for one definitive answer: **exactly how many young Nigerians are still being held?**
₦1bn ransom deadline hangs over families
The uncertainty has been compounded by a massive ransom demand.
Parents say the kidnappers are demanding **₦50 million for each captive**, meaning the ransom could reach **₦1 billion if 20 people remain in captivity**.
The families said the abductors contacted them using the victims’ phones and issued a 24-hour ultimatum, threatening to harm the captives if the money was not paid.
“We have no way of raising such an amount,” one distraught parent said while appealing for government intervention.
The deadline was expected to expire on Sunday, intensifying fears among families already struggling to establish the whereabouts and condition of their children.
Earlier reports had put the number abducted at 19, with a corresponding ransom demand of ₦950 million. The parents, however, maintain that 20 prospective corps members remain with the kidnappers.
Journey to NYSC camp turns into nightmare
The victims had departed Ibadan, Oyo State, aboard two buses operated by Uko Akwa Ibom Motors, travelling towards NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The buses reportedly left the Bodija/Samonda area on Wednesday but were delayed by traffic around Benin, Edo State.
After spending the night around the Onitsha axis, the travellers resumed their journey at about 5am on Thursday.
Their journey ended abruptly after the buses entered Imo State.
Gunmen reportedly blocked the vehicles along the Owerri-Onitsha Road and forced the passengers into the surrounding bush.
The drivers escaped and alerted security personnel at a nearby checkpoint, triggering the subsequent search operation.
Now, with drones having reportedly located the kidnappers and intelligence pointing to a mine-infested camp, security agencies face a dangerous race against time.
Parents seek help as families remain sleepless
The families have appealed to the Oyo State Government, the Imo State Government and security agencies to intensify efforts to secure the victims' release.
The parents also met with the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, who assured them that efforts were being made to bring their children home safely.
Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, said he had been in contact with his Imo counterpart, who assured him that the victims would be rescued unhurt.
But for the families, every passing hour brings greater anxiety.
One mother said she had abandoned everything else and travelled to a prayer mountain to seek divine intervention for her son.
She said the family had been unable to sleep since learning of the abduction.
“We cannot stop our children from going to serve in other states,” she said. “But the security of the lives of citizens is the responsibility of the government.”
Sowore calls for NYSC overhaul
The abduction has also reignited debate over the safety and relevance of Nigeria's compulsory national service scheme.
Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress presidential candidate for the 2027 election, called for the immediate suspension and eventual scrapping of the NYSC scheme.
He argued that forcing young Nigerians to travel long distances for compulsory service exposes them to avoidable risks.
Sowore proposed that, pending any broader reform, corps members should be permitted to serve within their states of origin.
He also called for the NYSC to be replaced with a voluntary National Job Corps focused on employment, skills development, public works, technology, agriculture, healthcare and education.
For the families of the abducted graduates, however, the political debate can wait.
Their immediate demand is simple: **bring their children home alive before the kidnappers' deadline—and before the explosives reportedly surrounding the hideout turn a rescue mission into another tragedy.**
IEDs Stall Rescue as Kidnapped NYSC Members Face ₦1bn Ransom Threat
