Reported by Simon Daniel Yusuph l Journalist at Weng Global
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has called on the Federal Government, the Imo State Government and security agencies to urgently rescue prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and other travellers abducted in Imo State.
Atiku described the abduction of 20 travellers, including prospective corps members, as “heartbreaking” and urged authorities to act swiftly to secure the release of those still being held.
The travellers were attacked by gunmen on Thursday, October 1, while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. The attack occurred along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the Umunoha area of Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
The Imo State Police Command confirmed the attack and subsequent abduction, while later updates indicated that security operatives had traced the suspected kidnappers to a location in the bush. However, police said they could not immediately enter the suspected hideout because intelligence indicated that explosives had been planted around the area.
Atiku’s intervention has added political pressure to an already tense rescue operation, as families of the victims continue to demand the safe return of their relatives.
What Happened on the Owerri-Onitsha Road
The incident began on the morning of October 1 when gunmen reportedly attacked two buses carrying travellers along the Owerri-Onitsha Road near Umunoha.
The passengers were travelling from Ibadan to different NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states ahead of their national service programme.
The Imo State Police Command confirmed that the attack occurred at about 6:30 a.m. near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area.
According to the police account reported by Premium Times, the attackers intercepted the two buses and abducted passengers. The police subsequently recovered the vehicles and launched efforts to locate the victims.
Initial information about the number of people rescued and those still missing varied.
The police initially announced that 10 passengers had been rescued, while other accounts from families of the victims disputed aspects of that account and said some people had escaped by fleeing into the surrounding bush.
More recent reporting has continued to identify 20 prospective corps members and other travellers as being affected by the incident.
The changing figures demonstrate why the status of individual victims needs to be established through official and family sources rather than relying on early reports.
Security Agencies Locate Suspected Hideout
The rescue operation has since moved beyond the initial attack site.
Imo State Commissioner of Police Audu Bosso said security operatives had used drone surveillance and other intelligence-gathering methods to locate the suspected camp where the abducted people were believed to be held.
However, officers were unable to immediately move into the location because intelligence indicated that the area had been mined with improvised explosive devices.
Bosso said operatives had followed the suspected kidnappers into the bush and reached a point close to the location identified through the coordinates.
The presence of suspected explosives created an additional danger for both the security personnel and the hostages.
The situation has consequently required security agencies to balance the urgency of rescuing the victims with the need to avoid an operation that could put their lives at greater risk.
The development is significant because it indicates that the authorities have moved from simply searching for the victims to having intelligence about their possible location.
However, locating a suspected hideout does not automatically guarantee an immediate rescue, particularly where explosives may have been planted.
Atiku Calls for Immediate Action
Atiku, who is a former vice-president and the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, reacted to the incident on Monday.
He urged the Federal and Imo State governments, as well as all relevant security agencies, to act with urgency to bring everyone still in captivity home safely.
Atiku said some of the victims had been rescued but others remained in captivity.
His intervention focused primarily on the safety of the abducted travellers and the need for a successful rescue operation.
He also connected the incident to broader concerns about insecurity across Nigeria, particularly attacks affecting young people, schoolchildren and travellers.
The former vice-president argued that Nigerians remained vulnerable to kidnappers on roads, in communities and around schools despite government commitments to improving national security.
Atiku Links Insecurity to Subsidy Reform
Atiku also used the incident to criticise the Tinubu administration’s economic and security policies.
He recalled the government’s argument that savings from the removal of the petrol subsidy would create resources that could support security and other public priorities.
Atiku questioned why Nigerians continued to face kidnapping and other security threats despite that promise.
His criticism is political in nature and forms part of a broader debate over the government’s handling of security and the use of public resources.
The former vice-president said the situation was particularly troubling because young Nigerians were facing security challenges at different stages of their lives — from schools and universities to journeys to NYSC orientation camps.
He described this as evidence that a generation was being failed at different stages.
Atiku also questioned the allocation of large pipeline security contracts to companies he described as politically connected, arguing that ordinary Nigerians were still exposed to criminals.
Those claims represent Atiku’s political assessment of the government’s security policies and should not be treated as independently established findings without supporting evidence.
Government Faces Security Test
The abduction has placed renewed attention on the security of major highways in southeastern Nigeria.
The Owerri-Onitsha route is an important transport corridor linking communities and commercial centres in the region.
An attack involving two buses carrying prospective corps members demonstrates the vulnerability that can arise when criminals target vehicles carrying groups of passengers.
For prospective corps members, the journey to orientation camps is an important stage in entering Nigeria’s compulsory national service programme.
The incident therefore carries implications beyond the immediate victims.
Families expect security agencies to protect citizens travelling for official programmes, while the government has a broader responsibility to maintain safe transportation corridors.
The attack also raises questions about intelligence gathering, highway patrols and the ability of security agencies to respond rapidly when criminal groups target multiple vehicles.
Families Remain Under Pressure
The families of the abducted travellers have been under intense pressure since the attack.
Reports have indicated that parents and relatives have been communicating with the abductors and that ransom demands were made for the release of the victims.
Recent reports have put the latest ransom demand at N5 million per victim, following an earlier demand reportedly amounting to N50 million per person.
The reported reduction brought the total demand for 20 victims from about N1 billion to N100 million. However, ransom claims in kidnapping cases are often based on information from relatives or other parties involved in negotiations and should therefore be attributed accordingly.
Families have also expressed concern about the condition of the victims.
Such reports underline the urgency of the rescue effort while also illustrating the difficult choices facing families when abductors demand large sums of money.
Police and Military Intensify Rescue Efforts
Security agencies have continued to work on the rescue operation.
The Nigeria Police Force has deployed senior operational personnel to coordinate efforts in Imo State.
According to reports, Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, alongside commissioners of police to coordinate the response.
The objective is to locate the abducted persons, secure their safe release and apprehend those responsible for the attack.
The operation is complicated by the reported presence of improvised explosive devices around the suspected hideout.
That development makes careful planning essential.
A poorly executed assault could expose both security personnel and hostages to serious danger, meaning the authorities must consider intelligence, negotiation, explosive ordnance expertise and tactical capabilities before moving into the area.
The Borno Connection Raised by Atiku
Atiku also drew attention to another unresolved kidnapping crisis.
In his statement, he referred to more than 70 pupils and students abducted from Mussa and Lassa communities in Borno State who, according to him, remain in captivity months after their abduction.
He said the children should not be forgotten and argued that their families deserve clear information about government efforts to secure their release.
The reference broadens Atiku’s criticism from the Imo incident to the wider problem of kidnapping and prolonged captivity in Nigeria.
However, the Borno situation is separate from the Imo abduction and involves different victims, locations and security circumstances.
The two cases should therefore not be conflated.
Why the Imo Abduction Matters
The reported abduction matters because it occurred on a major interstate road and involved young Nigerians travelling for an official national programme.
The NYSC programme is designed to promote national integration by deploying graduates across states.
When prospective corps members cannot travel safely to orientation camps, insecurity affects not only individual families but also one of the country’s major youth and national-integration programmes.
The incident also highlights the wider economic and social consequences of insecurity.
Unsafe highways can discourage travel, disrupt commerce and increase the cost of transportation.
Families may become reluctant to allow young people to travel long distances, while businesses may face higher security and logistics costs.
For government, repeated attacks on highways can weaken public confidence in the ability of security agencies to protect citizens outside major urban centres.
The Political Dimension
Atiku’s statement comes within the context of Nigeria’s approaching 2027 general elections.
As an opposition political figure and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration is politically significant.
However, the underlying security incident is separate from the political contest.
The abduction has been confirmed by the Imo State Police Command, while the disagreement and uncertainty surrounding the number of victims rescued illustrates the need for continued official clarification.
Political reactions should therefore be distinguished from the operational facts of the rescue effort.
Atiku’s criticism provides one political perspective on the incident, while the responsibility for establishing the facts and securing the victims remains with the relevant security agencies.
The Challenge of Highway Security
The incident demonstrates the difficulty of securing Nigeria’s extensive road network.
Nigeria has thousands of kilometres of highways connecting states and communities, making permanent security coverage across every vulnerable section difficult.
Criminal groups can exploit isolated stretches of road, forests and difficult terrain to ambush vehicles before withdrawing into areas where security forces may find it harder to operate.
The suspected use of explosives around the reported hideout adds another layer of complexity.
Effective highway security therefore requires more than occasional patrols.
It depends on intelligence gathering, surveillance, rapid response, community information networks, coordinated operations and sustained presence in identified vulnerable areas.
The authorities will face pressure to demonstrate that lessons from the Imo incident can be translated into better protection for travellers.
What Happens Next
The immediate priority remains the safe recovery of the victims still in captivity.
Security agencies are expected to continue surveillance and intelligence operations around the suspected hideout while assessing the reported explosive threat.
Authorities will also need to clarify the precise number of people still missing and provide families with reliable information.
If a rescue operation is conducted, the security agencies will also be expected to investigate the perpetrators and determine how the attack was organised.
Any arrests or recovery of weapons and other evidence could help establish the identities and networks behind the attack.
For the families, the most important outcome will remain the safe return of their relatives.
Atiku’s call has added political pressure for swift action, but the success of the operation will ultimately depend on the security agencies’ ability to safely locate and recover those still being held.
What Readers Should Know
The key facts established so far are that gunmen attacked two buses carrying travellers from Ibadan to NYSC orientation camps in southeastern Nigeria on October 1.
The attack occurred near Umunoha along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State.
The Imo State Police Command confirmed the incident and initiated rescue efforts.
Atiku has subsequently called for the urgent rescue of those still in captivity.
Security agencies have reportedly located the suspected hideout, but police said an explosives threat has prevented an immediate assault on the location.
Reports about the number of people rescued and those remaining in captivity have varied, making further official clarification important.
The situation remains active, and the safety of the victims should remain the central priority.
Conclusion
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has urged the Federal Government, the Imo State Government and security agencies to urgently rescue prospective NYSC members and other travellers abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road.
The victims were travelling from Ibadan to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom when gunmen attacked two buses near Umunoha on October 1.
The Imo State Police Command confirmed the attack and has continued efforts to locate the victims. Security operatives have reportedly identified the suspected location of the abductors, but police said an improvised explosive device threat has complicated efforts to enter the area.
Atiku has used the incident to renew criticism of the Tinubu administration’s handling of insecurity, arguing that Nigerians remain vulnerable to kidnapping despite government commitments to improve security.
His comments are part of the political debate surrounding the incident, but the immediate concern remains humanitarian and operational: bringing the abducted travellers home safely.
The coming days will be important as security agencies work to overcome the reported explosive threat, establish the precise status of every victim and pursue those responsible for the attack.
For the families waiting for their relatives, the priority is clear — a safe and timely rescue.
Weng Global — Stories beyond borders
Sources
- Imo State Police Command
- Nigeria Police Force
- Premium Times
- Channels Television
- Punch
- Vanguard
- Tribune Online
- TheCable
