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 intensified efforts to rescue 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members and other passengers abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road.
The deployment follows the October 1, 2026, attack near Umunoha in Imo State, where gunmen intercepted two commercial buses carrying passengers, including prospective corps members travelling to orientation camps.
According to the Nigeria Police Force, Nadada arrived in Imo with two Commissioners of Police and conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the incident and the ongoing search-and-rescue operation. He also reviewed the deployment of personnel, operational strategies and available assets before issuing further directives to strengthen the response.
The assessment involved Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso; Commissioner of Police in charge of Federal Operations, Akpan Anifiok; the Commissioner of Police overseeing the Police Mobile Force; and other security commanders and members of the state command’s management team.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, said additional tactical teams and operational assets had been deployed to areas identified as relevant to the search.
The police are also using intelligence-led tracking to locate the suspected abductors and establish the whereabouts of the remaining victims.
The operation is being conducted in collaboration with other security agencies, with the objective of securing the safe release of the abducted persons and arresting those responsible for the attack.
DIG Nadada assured the public that the police would sustain the operation until the abducted persons were rescued.
He also appealed to members of the public to remain calm and vigilant and urged anyone with credible information that could assist the operation to contact the police or the nearest security formation. Authorities said information supplied by members of the public would be treated confidentially.
The victims were abducted around 6:30 a.m. on October 1 near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area.
Earlier police reports said two buses travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, towards Uyo in Akwa Ibom State and Bende in Abia State were attacked.
Police subsequently reported that 10 victims had been rescued and the two buses recovered, while the exact number of people initially taken was still being established.
The latest deployment indicates that the police are continuing to treat the incident as an active rescue operation involving 20 prospective corps members and other passengers.
The incident has renewed concerns about the security of major highways used by prospective NYSC members travelling to orientation camps. It also comes weeks after another highway abduction in Kogi State in which NYSC-bound travellers were among those rescued.
For now, security agencies are continuing the search for the remaining victims and suspected kidnappers, while the police have pledged to sustain the operation until the victims are safely recovered.
