Nigerian authorities have safely rescued a group of 20 newly graduated students who were kidnapped by armed gunmen last week after a large-scale search and rescue operation.
On 7 Oct 2026 GMT+7, Nigerian police announced that 20 newly graduated students abducted in the southeastern part of the country last week had been safely recovered following continuous search and rescue efforts. They are now under official care and have undergone medical examinations.
Police spokesperson Ani Iniedu stated in a press briefing that the group was rescued in the Amakohia Ubi autonomous community in Imo State after being kidnapped on 1 Oct while traveling to participate in a national community service program in southern Nigeria.
He said police, military, and other security agencies conducted searches in forests and suspected hideouts based on intelligence before successfully rescuing the youths. However, he did not disclose whether any ransom was paid or suspects arrested.
The youths were participating in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), a mandatory one-year community service program for most Nigerian graduates, which assigns participants to various locations across the country.
The victims were traveling by two buses on a main highway from Ibadan city in the southwestern Oyo State toward the NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when they were ambushed by armed gunmen.
This incident has sparked renewed concerns about security problems and roadside kidnappings in Nigeria’s southeastern region.
Before their release, Omotoso Adewale, father of one of the abductees, told the BBC that the kidnappers demanded a ransom as high as 50 million naira (about 1.2 million baht), which he could not afford to pay.
Kidnapping for ransom is a major security issue in Nigeria involving criminal gangs and armed groups. So far, authorities have not disclosed any information about the identity or affiliations of the perpetrators.
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Source:bbc