Bombs block rescue of abducted Nigerian youth recruits, police say

Mon Oct 05 2026 15:29:58 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Nigerian police locate a camp with 19 NYSC recruits but bomb threats halt rescue.

Police in Nigeria have found a hidden camp holding 19 National Youth Service Corps recruits, but the presence of improvised explosives prevents a rescue operation. Drones helped locate the site after a bus carrying the recruits was attacked near Umunoha, Imo state, but intelligence indicates the compound is mined with IEDs. Families, including the father of one victim who has not eaten for three days, fear for their loved ones as a 50 million‑naira ransom remains unpaid. The incident highlights the growing kidnapping crisis in the southeast and renews calls for reforms to protect NYSC participants.

Nigerian police have confirmed that an armed group has taken 19 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) recruits to a hidden camp in Imo state, but an explosion risk has halted a rescue mission.

Police Commissioner Audu Bosso said drones were employed to pinpoint the location after the bus carrying the recruits was attacked near Umunoha, south‑eastern Nigeria. The footage is said to reveal a concealed compound mined with IEDs, the commander warned.

The abductors demanded a ransom of 50 million naira ($37,680) – a sum that many families, like father Omotosho Adewale, could not afford. Adewale told journalists he had not eaten for three days and pleaded for government help.

The NYSC is a mandatory one‑year programme that deploys graduates to post in different parts of the country. In recent years, the organisation has expressed concerns over security, particularly in regions where kidnapping for ransom is rampant.

While southern Nigeria has seen fewer mass abductions than the north, incidents linked to separatist groups such as the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have raised alarm. The police remain uncertain who orchestrated the latest raid.

Authorities have deployed bulldozers and armoured vehicles to the site, preparing for a potential extraction, but the presence of bombs keeps rescue teams at a cautious distance. The case has renewed calls for stronger safeguards for NYSC recruits as they travel across the country.