A video has resurfaced on social media showing the moment twenty prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and one civilian abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha expressway in Imo State regained their freedom after spending seven traumatizing days in captivity.
The victims, who were traveling in two buses from Ibadan, Oyo State, heading to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states, were ambushed and intercepted by armed gunmen on October 1, 2026, near Umunoha in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area.
Following an intense week-long, intelligence-led operation involving drone surveillance, the Nigerian Army, the Police, and the Department of State Services (DSS), the victims finally walked out of a dense forest at Amakohia Ubi-Ndegwu in Owerri West at approximately 4:28 PM on Wednesday, October 7.
Initial reports revealed that the kidnappers had demanded an astounding ₦1 billion ransom (originally quoted around ₦50 million per victim) before scaling down demands to ₦100 million.
However, security authorities have maintained that sustained military pressure and tactical encirclement forced the release, without officially confirming any ransom payment.
Security forces had previously located the insurgents' primary camp via aerial drone mapping, but direct assault efforts were momentarily delayed due to landmines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted around the perimeter by the criminal network.
The rescued corps members were immediately transported to the DSS Medical Facility in Owerri for emergency health evaluations, psychological debriefing, and care.
The Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier-General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, accompanied by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the State DSS Director, and the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade, visited the victims at the facility to ensure their well-being before reunited processing.
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