Security operatives from 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 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State.
The suspects were arrested at the weekend during intelligence-led operations conducted at different locations in Rivers and Abia states. Three other suspected gang members reportedly escaped with gunshot injuries, prompting security agencies to launch a manhunt for them.
Security sources disclosed that the operations took place between October 10 and 14 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State.
The 20 prospective corps members were abducted by armed men along the Owerri–Onitsha Expressway in Imo State on October 1, 2026, while travelling to their assigned orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The victims were later rescued on October 7 during a joint security operation at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State.
The latest arrests mark a development in efforts by security agencies to track down those allegedly involved in the abduction, dismantle the criminal network and bring the suspects to justice.
A security source described the arrests as a major relief, saying security agencies had sustained a wide-ranging manhunt for the abductors.
The source expressed confidence that the arrested suspects would be charged in court by the DSS and that the victims would receive justice.
