Security agencies have delayed an immediate assault on a suspected kidnappers’ hideout in Imo State after intelligence indicated that the camp where prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members are being held had been planted with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, disclosed this on Saturday, saying security operatives had located the suspected camp after trailing the kidnappers into the bush and deploying drones to identify their position.
Bosso said the security agencies could not immediately move into the location because of the reported IED threat, adding that preparations were underway to deploy bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers to facilitate the rescue operation.
“Yesterday, we were in the bush, we trailed them up to a particular location. But at that point in time, we couldn’t move in to where the coordinate showed us they are because we ran drones yesterday. And the drone actually showed us exactly their location.
“But our predicament is that with the intel we have, the camp is mined with IEDs,” he said.
The police commissioner added that the operation would involve specialised equipment to minimise risks to the victims and security personnel.
“We are moving in there with high-velocity vehicles, that is, bulldozers. We’re moving in with bulldozers and APCs to see how we’re going to rescue these victims unhurt,” Bosso said.
Police spokesperson, Henry Okoye, also said security operatives were closing in on the kidnappers, adding that personnel involved in the operation had been briefed on the strategy for the rescue mission.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, had deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, alongside two commissioners of police, to Imo State to strengthen the operation.
Nadada arrived in the state on Friday and reviewed the personnel, operational strategy and assets deployed for the search-and-rescue mission.
The prospective corps members were travelling in two buses from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen attacked the vehicles along the Owerri-Onitsha Road at Umunoha, Imo State, on Thursday.
However, conflicting accounts have emerged over the number of passengers abducted and those who escaped or were rescued.
While the Imo State Police Command initially reported that 10 victims had been rescued following the intervention of security agencies, parents of the affected prospective corps members disputed the claim.
The parents said the 10 passengers described as rescued had actually escaped from the kidnappers and fled into the bush, insisting that 20 prospective corps members remained in captivity as of Saturday.
Speaking during a visit to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, in Ibadan, the families said 30 passengers were travelling in the two buses when the attackers struck.
They said 10 passengers escaped through the bush while the remaining 20 were abducted.
The parents, represented by Alhaja Alimot Akande and Oyebola Akande, also expressed concern over difficulties in obtaining the passenger manifest from the transport company, saying some affected corps members were allegedly not listed.
The parents’ account differs from earlier statements by the police and Defence Headquarters. The Defence Headquarters had said 20 passengers were abducted, while 10 people, including eight prospective corps members, were subsequently rescued.
The conflicting figures have heightened uncertainty over the exact number of victims still being held by the kidnappers.
Parents Face N1bn Ransom Demand
Meanwhile, anxiety among the families has intensified following a reported ransom demand of N50 million for each of the 20 victims, amounting to N1 billion.
The parents said the abductors contacted families using the mobile phones of some of the victims and issued a 24-hour deadline for payment, threatening to harm the captives if the ransom was not paid.
“They have been calling us since yesterday (Friday) with a demand for N50m ransom each. They are threatening that anything untoward will happen to our children if we fail to heed their request,” Alhaja Akande said.
The families have appealed for urgent intervention from the authorities to secure the safe release of the prospective corps members as security agencies intensify efforts to reach the suspected hideout.
