Kidnappers Demand ₦50m Per Head as Prospective Corps Members Abducted in Imo; 10 Rescued As Search Continues.

Gunmen attacked two commercial buses carrying prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members on the Owerri–Onitsha Road in Imo State on Thursday, 1st October, abducting passengers and throwing families across the country into fear. The kidnappers have reportedly demanded ₦50 million for each victim.

The Imo State Police Command said the two 18-seater buses were travelling from Ibadan to Uyo in Akwa Ibom State and Bende in Abia State when suspected armed men attacked them. The prospective corps members were of the 2026 Batch C Stream I and had boarded at Samonda in Ibadan. The buses left on Wednesday, stopped overnight in Imo, and resumed the journey early on Thursday.

The attack happened at about 6:30 a.m. According to a military account, the location was Umonuwa village in Mbaise Local Government Area, while the police and other reports place it near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area. An eyewitness told the Tribune that the attackers forced the occupants, including the drivers, out of the vehicles and took them away. The managing director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors, whose company owns the buses, said the passengers had only just entered Imo State when gunmen came out of the bush.

The number of victims has been reported inconsistently. Channels Television reported 20 corps members abducted. The bus company's managing director put the figure at 19 passengers, all corps members. A military account spoke of about 30 prospective corps members, and the Defence Headquarters said the buses carried 30 passengers in all, with 20 abducted. The police said the exact number is still being verified.

On the response, police said both buses were recovered and 10 victims were rescued, and that the rescued victims were in safe hands and being attended to. Troops of the 34 Artillery Brigade under Operation UDO KA responded, working with the Navy, Air Force, Police and the Department of State Services (DSS). The Defence Headquarters said eight of the 10 rescued were prospective corps members, and that they were handed over to the DSS for debriefing. However, police spokesman Henry Okoye could not confirm whether the rescued persons were among the abducted corps members. The Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, visited the scene, and a Rapid Response Team has been deployed to track the kidnappers while operatives comb surrounding bushes. No arrest has been made.

Families have since reported ransom demands. The bus company's managing director said the gunmen demanded ₦50 million for each victim, and some reports put the total at ₦950 million for 19 abducted corps members. One parent said the kidnappers called on Friday using her son's phone and demanded ₦50 million for his release. Another parent said her daughter, who was travelling to Uyo, was among those abducted. The kidnappers briefly allowed the family a video call, in which relatives saw her and other victims sitting on the ground in the bush, crying. The police have not publicly confirmed any ransom demand.

Tension has gripped families across Oyo State, with relatives waiting anxiously for word. The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Southwest Zone D, condemned the abduction, described the reported demands as deeply disturbing, and noted that fundraising appeals were already circulating. It called on the Federal Government to review compulsory long-distance postings and introduce safer deployment and transportation arrangements for prospective corps members.

The incident comes weeks after security forces rescued abducted passengers, including corps members, from Egume Forest in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State on 31st August. It has renewed fears over the safety of young Nigerians travelling across states to serve their country. Motorists and passengers on the Lagos, Onitsha and Owerri corridor have been urged to remain vigilant.