Nigerian police say they have found a camp in Imo state where 19 National Youth Service Corps recruits were abducted, but reports of the area being mined with improvised explosive devices are preventing a rescue operation.
Police Commissioner Audu Bosso confirmed that drones helped locate the suspect hide‑out, but the intelligence indicates the site is surrounded by roadside bombs. He added that bulldozers and armoured vehicles are being deployed as police plan a tactics‑heavy rescue.
The 19 coroners were travelling from Ibadan to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom when gunmen attacked buses near Umunoha on Thursday. The abductors demanded a ransom of 50 million naira (about $37,600). One of the victims’ fathers, Omotosho Adewale, said he has not eaten in three days and implores the government for help.
Kidnappings for ransom remain a major security problem in Nigeria, involving both criminal gangs and armed groups. Although paying ransoms is illegal, many families are pressured to comply to secure a swift release.
The assault on the NYSC recruits has shocked the country and revived debate over security protocols for young travellers. The NYSC has previously withheld deployment of its recruits to areas where violence or the risk of abduction is high; most southeastern states were not included in these high‑risk zones before the incident.
Authorities have not linked this raid to any known guerilla or separatist organization, though the region has seen sporadic kidnappings linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra. The operation remains in the hands of police and armed forces as they prepare to dismantle the camp safely.
