Security operatives have arrested five suspected members of a criminal gang allegedly responsible for abducting 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State on October 1, 2026.
The arrests followed intelligence-led operations conducted by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the military and the police in Rivers and Abia states.
According to reports, the operations were carried out between October 10 and 14 at different locations, including Port Harcourt in Rivers State and Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State.
Three other suspects reportedly escaped during the operations with gunshot injuries, prompting security agencies to launch a manhunt to track them down.
The 20 prospective corps members were abducted on Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day while travelling along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway to their NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The incident triggered widespread concern and prompted a coordinated search-and-rescue operation involving multiple security agencies.
The victims were rescued on October 7 from the Amakohia-Ubi area of Imo State and taken to a DSS medical facility in Owerri for medical attention.
The latest arrests represent a further development in efforts to identify and apprehend those allegedly responsible for the abduction.
Security agencies are reportedly continuing their operations to apprehend the fleeing suspects and bring all those implicated in the crime to justice.
Further details about the identities of the arrested suspects and their expected prosecution have not been provided in the available report.
