Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the military and the police have arrested five suspected members of a criminal gang allegedly responsible for the abduction of 20 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State on October 1, 2026.
The suspects were arrested during intelligence-led operations conducted at different locations in Rivers and Abia states between October 10 and 14, while three other suspects reportedly escaped with varying degrees of gunshot injuries.
Security sources disclosed that the operations took place in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State.
The 20 corps members were abducted by armed men along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway on Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day while travelling to their assigned orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
They were subsequently rescued on October 7 during a joint security operation at Amakohia Ubi village in Imo State.
The latest arrests are seen as a major breakthrough in the efforts of security agencies to track down the alleged perpetrators, dismantle the criminal network and bring those responsible for the abduction to justice.
A security source described the arrests as a relief, noting that security agencies had sustained a wide-ranging manhunt for the suspected abductors.
“This is a huge sigh of relief. Security agencies have been on a manhunt for the abductors, and we are elated that they have been captured,” the source said.
The source expressed confidence that the suspects would face prosecution, adding that the victims deserved justice.
“We strongly believe they will be charged to court by DSS and the corps members will get justice,” the source added.
