The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Umar Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate the search-and-rescue operation for prospective National Youth Service Corps members and other passengers abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road.
The victims were abducted on Thursday, October 1, around the Umunoha axis of the road in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of the state, after two buses conveying passengers travelling from Ibadan to NYSC orientation camps in the South-East and South-South were attacked.
The development comes as security agencies intensify efforts to locate and rescue those still missing. TheCable reported on Saturday that the police had earlier recovered the two buses and rescued 10 victims at the scene of the attack.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, said Nadada arrived in Imo with two Commissioners of Police and immediately conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the incident and the ongoing rescue operation.
He said the DIG also reviewed the deployment of personnel, operational strategies and available assets before issuing further directives to strengthen the coordinated response.
According to Iniedu, additional tactical teams and operational resources have been deployed to identified areas, while intelligence-led tracking of the suspected abductors is being conducted in collaboration with other security agencies.
“The search-and-rescue operation has been further intensified, with additional deployments of tactical teams and operational assets across identified areas, backed by intelligence-led tracking of the suspects,” Iniedu said.
He added that the police were working with sister security agencies to ensure the safe recovery of the remaining victims and apprehension of the perpetrators.
Nadada, according to the police, assured the public that the operation would continue until the abducted persons were safely rescued.
The latest deployment follows the October 1 attack in which gunmen reportedly intercepted two buses near Umunoha. The Imo State Police Command had earlier confirmed that NYSC members were among those abducted and that 10 victims were rescued following the intervention of security operatives.
Meanwhile, Channels Television reported on Saturday that families of some of the abducted prospective corps members had been thrown into panic following an alleged ransom demand of ₦50 million for each victim. The report said the victims were travelling from Ibadan to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The ransom claim was attributed to the Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, Isiah Akpan, whose company operates the affected buses. The police have not independently confirmed the reported ransom demand.
The police have appealed to members of the public with credible information that could assist the rescue operation to contact security agencies, assuring that such information would be treated confidentially.
