A Nigerian mother has appealed for help after her daughter, a prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member) travelling to an orientation camp, was reportedly among passengers abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State.
The woman made the appeal in a video shared on TikTok after losing contact with her daughter following the attack on two buses near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area on Thursday, October 1.
The buses were carrying NYSC members and other passengers travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Bende, Abia State, when suspected armed men attacked them at about 6:30am.
The mother said her daughter and other corps members had left Samonda, Ibadan, around 9am the previous day to travel to their respective camps.
According to her account, the family had been sharing live locations throughout the journey so they could monitor one another’s movements.
She said the family received an emergency message from her daughter around 6am on Thursday.
The woman alleged that her daughter sent the word “kidnappers” to their family WhatsApp group before making several missed calls.
She said her daughter’s phone had continued to ring, but she had been unable to speak with her.
“Since 6am I haven’t been able to talk to my child. Around 7am when we started using her location to trace her, she hanged up. We’ve been trying to reach her since then, her calls are going through but she’s not picking up.”
The woman also claimed that the family received videos showing the attack on the buses and alleged that the bus carrying her daughter was raided and emptied.
She said only one of three buses reportedly escaped, although that part of her account has not been independently verified.
The mother explained that her daughters are twins. One, Taiye, had been posted to Enugu, while the other, Kehinde, was posted to Abia.
She said Taiye had successfully reached her orientation camp in Enugu, but the family had not heard from Kehinde following the reported attack.
“Please, Nigerian government, please help us. I beg you in the name of God. Please help me, have mercy on me.”
The account came as the Imo State Police Command launched a search-and-rescue operation following the abduction.
In an update, police spokesperson DSP Henry Okoye said two buses carrying NYSC members and other passengers were attacked near Umunoha. Security agencies subsequently recovered both buses and rescued 10 victims at the scene.
The police, however, said the exact number of people abducted was still being verified and would be made public after confirmation.
The command said tactical teams were conducting coordinated search-and-rescue operations, supported by intelligence-led tracking, to locate the suspected abductors and rescue those still in captivity.
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Bosso, also visited the scene with other security commanders to assess the situation and direct the operation.
Police said they were working with the NYSC Directorate to contact the families of affected corps members and keep them informed as the rescue operation continues.
The affected section of the Owerri-Onitsha Road has since been reopened, with security personnel deployed to protect commuters.
The incident has triggered concern among families of prospective corps members travelling to orientation camps, particularly after recent reports of attacks involving NYSC members on interstate highways.
At the time of the latest police update, 10 victims had been rescued, but authorities had not established the final number of people who remained in captivity. The mother’s account about her daughter’s whereabouts therefore remains unconfirmed pending the outcome of the ongoing security operation.
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