Police say 10 victims rescued less than 24 hours after Umunoha attackGunmen on Thursday abducted 19 National Youth Service Corps members travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom States, after attacking two buses in the Umunoha area of Imo State.
The Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, Isiah Akpan, whose company operates the buses, confirmed the incident.
Akpan said the passengers had stopped overnight in Oba because of the bad condition of the road. They resumed the journey at about 5 a.m. on Thursday.
“They blocked the two vehicles and took 19 passengers, all corps members, into the bush,” he said.
He said the drivers escaped and alerted security personnel at a nearby checkpoint, after which police and military personnel began a search. He added that the operation was initially delayed when some villagers allegedly stopped security personnel from moving the abandoned buses. The buses were eventually left at the scene, with some of the passengers’ belongings scattered inside.
Akpan said the kidnappers contacted some of the victims’ families and demanded N50 million for each abducted passenger.
Less than 24 hours after the attack, the Imo State Police Command said 10 of the victims had been rescued.
