All 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted while travelling from Oyo State to their orientation camps in Abia State have regained their freedom, seven days after they were kidnapped along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State.

The victims are currently receiving medical attention at the Department of State Services Hospital in Owerri.

The development was confirmed to The PUNCH on Wednesday by the Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, Isiah Akpan.

The Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier-General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, visited the rescued victims at the hospital to assess their condition.

Nafiu was accompanied by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the Director of the Department of State Services and the Commander of the 34 Artillery Brigade, Imo State.

The NYSC DG also addressed the rescued corps members during the visit.

Details of how the victims were rescued remained unclear as of the time of filing this report. Authorities have also yet to disclose whether any of the suspected kidnappers were arrested or if ransom was paid to secure the victims’ release.

The 20 graduates were travelling from Ibadan to their NYSC orientation camps on Thursday when gunmen reportedly attacked the two buses conveying them.

The abductors initially demanded N50m for each victim, amounting to N1bn, before reportedly reducing the ransom to N5m per person, totalling N100m.

Following the abduction, security agencies launched a coordinated search operation to locate the victims and secure their release.

The Imo State Police Command later disclosed that its operatives had traced the kidnappers’ hideout through drone surveillance.

However, the security personnel reportedly could not immediately access the location after discovering that the area had been planted with improvised explosive devices.

Additional equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers, was subsequently deployed to facilitate access to the suspected kidnappers’ camp.

The police had earlier announced that 10 of the abducted persons had been rescued, while efforts continued to locate the remaining victims.

With the latest development, all 20 prospective corps members have now regained their freedom and are receiving medical care in Owerri.

Reacting to the development, Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, commended the security agencies for their efforts in securing the victims’ release.

Uzodimma, in a statement personally signed by him, praised the personnel involved in the operation and acknowledged the collaboration between the Oyo and Imo State governments.

According to Channels Television, the governor “praised the personnel for what he described as their cooperation and patriotism in ensuring that the corps members were brought out safely.”

Uzodimma explained that the sensitive nature of the operation, particularly the need to protect the lives of the abducted corps members, informed the decision to keep details of the rescue efforts away from the public while the operation was ongoing.

He also expressed gratitude to the security agencies for the discreet and coordinated manner in which they handled the operation.

The governor commended the victims’ parents for their patience throughout the ordeal and urged Nigerians to remain confident in the efforts of the Federal Government and security agencies to tackle insecurity.