Omanghana
Police in Nigeria’s Imo State say drone surveillance has identified the suspected hideout of kidnappers holding prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, but intelligence about explosives around the camp has delayed a rescue attempt.
The state Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, disclosed this on Saturday, October 3, 2026, while providing an update on efforts to free the abducted victims.
Bosso said operatives tracked the suspected kidnappers into the bush on Friday and used drones to establish their location. However, security personnel halted their advance after receiving information that the area had been planted with improvised explosive devices.
“But our predicament is that with the intel we have, the camp is mined with IEDs,” he said.
According to the commissioner, security agencies were preparing to deploy additional equipment, including bulldozers and armored personnel carriers, as part of efforts to reach the victims safely. He said rescuing the captives unharmed remained the objective of the operation.
The abduction occurred on Thursday, October 1, when gunmen attacked two buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Imo State. The passengers included prospective corps members travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The police update indicated that efforts to reach the suspected camp were continuing, although no confirmed timetable for the victims’ release was provided. The reported presence of explosives remained a major obstacle to the rescue operation.
Source: Omanghana
