Troops Rescue 8 Prospective Corps Members Abducted In Imo

Troops of Operation UDO KA have rescued eight prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted by gunmen along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway in Imo State.

The victims were among passengers travelling in two commercial buses when gunmen reportedly intercepted the vehicles at Umonuwa village in Ezinihitte Mbaise Local Government Area of the state on Thursday.

According to the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), the buses were conveying a total of 30 passengers when the gunmen flagged them down and abducted 20 persons, including several prospective corps members.

Ten passengers, including the eight identified prospective corps members, were subsequently rescued unharmed following the intervention of troops and other security agencies.

In a statement signed by the Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, the DHQ said troops, alongside personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services and the Nigerian Air Force, had continued a joint search-and-rescue operation for the remaining abductees.

The incident occurred amid heightened security operations across the country as prospective corps members travelled to various orientation camps for the 2026 Batch C Stream One exercise.

Onoja said troops had sustained operations against terrorism, kidnapping and other forms of criminality across the country’s six geopolitical zones.

In the North-East, troops of Operation HADIN KAI recorded the surrender of four terrorists and their associates in Borno State, while troops also arrested suspected terrorist collaborators in Borno and Yobe states.

On October 1, troops, supported by the Air Component, neutralised five terrorists during coordinated operations in Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

The troops recovered three AK-47 rifles, two pump-action rifles, one Dane gun, six AK-47 magazines and a belt of pump-action cartridges.

In a separate air operation, troops neutralised 16 terrorists and destroyed 15 motorcycles after surveillance detected a concentration of terrorists and motorcycles.

In the North-Central, troops of Operation WHIRL STROKE rescued three persons suspected to have been released by kidnappers in Gbise community, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State.

Onoja said the victims told troops they had been abducted in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State, prompting efforts to track the kidnap syndicate.

In the South-South, troops of Operation DELTA SAFE rescued personnel of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) who were reportedly mobbed and disarmed by residents of Ekureku community in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State.

The troops recovered five FN rifles and two Beretta pistols that had been seized from the NDLEA personnel by residents.

In the South-East, troops also rescued three persons abducted from the Osakwa area of Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.

Following information obtained from an arrested kidnapper, troops located the syndicate’s camp at Abator in Ogbaru Local Government Area and conducted a follow-up operation by canoe.

The operation resulted in the neutralisation of 10 terrorists and the recovery of two AK-47 rifles, three pump-action rifles, three Dane guns, ammunition and materials for fabricating improvised explosive devices.

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Olatunbosun Oluyede, commended the troops for their courage and professionalism, particularly their intervention in Cross River State and the ongoing operation to rescue the remaining abductees in Imo.

He also commended the collaboration between the Armed Forces and other security agencies, urging members of the public, traditional rulers and community leaders to continue providing credible and timely information to troops.