The Imo State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of 20 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of the state.
The incident occurred on Thursday, October 1, 2026, as Nigeria marked its 66th Independence Anniversary.
The corps members were reportedly travelling in a commercial bus from Ibadan, Oyo State, to different NYSC orientation camps across the South-East and South-South when gunmen intercepted the vehicle around the Umunoha community area of the expressway.
The Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Henry Okoye, confirmed the incident in a telephone conversation with Channels Television.
Okoye said 20 corps members were among those abducted and disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, had visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.
According to the police spokesperson, security operatives have intensified efforts to rescue the victims safely and secure their unconditional release.
He said security personnel were already combing surrounding bushes in search of the abducted corps members, while a Rapid Response Team (RRT) had also been deployed to track the kidnappers.
The abduction occurred along the same Owerri-Onitsha route where reports of attacks on travellers had emerged earlier on Thursday.
The latest incident has raised fresh concerns over the safety of prospective corps members travelling to orientation camps, particularly as the NYSC’s new orientation cycle gets underway.
The police have not disclosed whether the attackers made contact with the victims’ families or demanded ransom.
The identities of the abducted corps members and the exact circumstances surrounding the attack have also not been made public.
The Imo Police Command said security agencies were continuing the search operation with the aim of rescuing the victims unharmed and apprehending those responsible.
The development comes just weeks after 11 people, including NYSC members, were rescued following a separate kidnapping incident along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Kogi State. In that case, police said gunmen had attacked two buses, abducted passengers and fled into surrounding forests before a joint security operation rescued the victims.
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