DSS, Police, military arrest five suspects over abduction of 20 NYSC members

Security operatives have arrested five suspected members of a criminal gang linked to the abduction of 20 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State.

According to a report by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the military and the police arrested the suspects during intelligence-led operations in Rivers and Abia states between October 10 and 14.

The report added that three other suspects escaped during the operations with varying degrees of injuries.

The arrests followed the abduction of the corps members in the early hours of October 1, when gunmen reportedly attacked two 18-seater buses conveying passengers from Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, and took them into the bush.

A video circulated on X showed that the victims were travelling to Akwa Ibom and Abia states in buses branded with the Abia State Government logo when the attackers intercepted the vehicles.

Henry Okoye, the Imo State Police Command spokesperson, said the incident occurred at about 6:30 a.m., adding that 10 victims were rescued shortly after the attack.

READ ALSO; Abducted NYSC prospective corps member recounts forest ordeal

Following the abduction, the kidnappers reportedly contacted the parents of the affected corps members and demanded a ransom of N1 billion, giving them 24 hours to secure their children’s release.

The abductors subsequently reduced the demand to N5 million per victim, bringing the total ransom sought for the 20 corps members to N100 million.

On October 7, Anietie Iniedu, spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force, announced that a joint team of DSS, military and police operatives had rescued the abducted corps members.

Iniedu said the victims were rescued at Amakohia Ubi village in Imo State following sustained search-and-rescue operations.

However, the circumstances surrounding the rescue generated controversy after Alirat Wahab, the mother of one of the freed corps members, told News Central Television that her family paid N6 million to secure her son’s release.

Her account contradicted the security agencies’ public account of the rescue operation, raising questions about whether ransom payments were made during the victims’ ordeal.

Alirat and her husband, Obasanjo, later disclosed that the money their family contributed towards the ransom had been returned.

The latest arrests represent a further development in investigations into the abduction, as security agencies pursue other suspected members of the gang who reportedly escaped during the operations.

Authorities have yet to provide further details on the identities of the five arrested suspects or the ongoing efforts to apprehend the three fleeing suspects.