Imo CP: I’m Not Aware Ransom Was Paid For Rescued Corps Members

The Imo State Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Bosso, has said he is not aware that any ransom was paid to secure the release of the 20 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and another person abducted in the state.

Bosso said the victims regained their freedom after sustained pressure from security agencies, which combed the forest in a coordinated search-and-rescue operation.

The commissioner disclosed this on Thursday during an interview with Channels Television, following the rescue of the abducted corps members and the other victim.

According to him, security operatives mounted pressure on the kidnappers during the operation, forcing them to release the victims.

“I’m not aware that ransom was paid,” Bosso said, adding that the rescued victims were receiving attention at the office of the Department of State Services (DSS).

The victims were abducted on October 1 along the Owerri-Onitsha Road while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

Following the incident, security agencies launched a coordinated operation to locate the victims and apprehend their abductors.

The police had earlier disclosed that drone surveillance helped operatives identify the location of the kidnappers’ camp. However, the operation was reportedly delayed after security personnel discovered that the area had been mined with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Additional operational assets were subsequently deployed as security agencies intensified efforts to reach the victims.

The abduction had raised concerns among the victims’ families, particularly following reports that the kidnappers demanded ₦50 million for each of the abducted persons.

Police had earlier announced the rescue of 10 victims, while operations continued to secure the release of those still being held.

The remaining victims were eventually released from the Amakohia-Ubi forest in Owerri West Local Government Area on Wednesday following the coordinated operation involving security agencies.

The latest development brought to an end the ordeal of the 20 corps members and the other abducted victim, who were subsequently taken to Owerri for medical attention.

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, commended the security agencies for their intervention and the successful rescue operation.

In a statement personally signed by him, the governor also expressed satisfaction with the collaboration between the Oyo and Imo state governments, which he said contributed to the quick release of the abducted victims.