5 arrested over abduction of NYSC members in Imo

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the navy and the police have arrested 5 suspected members of a legal gang allegedly chargeable for abducting 20 potential members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Imo state.

The suspects have been apprehended throughout intelligence-led operations carried out in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State between October 10 and 14, 2026.

Security sources disclosed that three different suspects escaped through the operations with gunshot accidents, prompting safety companies to accentuate efforts to trace them down.

The arrests mark a big improvement within the investigation into the kidnapping, which occurred on October 1, 2026, when armed males intercepted the 20 potential corps members alongside the Owerri–Onitsha Expressway as they travelled to their assigned orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

The victims have been subsequently rescued on October 7 throughout a joint safety operation at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo state.

According to safety sources, the most recent operations kind a part of sustained efforts to determine and apprehend these chargeable for the kidnapping, dismantle the legal community and convey the perpetrators to justice.

A safety supply described the arrests as a serious breakthrough, noting that safety companies had maintained an intensive manhunt for the suspects for the reason that incident.

“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 supply mentioned.

The supply added that the suspects have been anticipated to face prosecution, expressing hope that the victims would acquire justice.

Security companies are persevering with efforts to apprehend the fleeing suspects and set up the complete circumstances surrounding the crime.