Operatives of the Department of State Service, DSS, in joint operations with the military and the Nigeria Police, have arrested five suspected members of the criminal gang behind the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members in Imo State.
The suspects were apprehended between October 10 and 14 during a series of intelligence-led operations at separate locations in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State, security sources said.
However, other members of the gang escaped the operations with varying degrees of gunshot injuries, prompting an ongoing manhunt for the fleeing suspects.
The arrests mark a significant breakthrough in efforts to track down the perpetrators of the abduction, dismantle the criminal network allegedly responsible, and bring those involved to justice.
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The 20 corps members were seized by armed men along the Owerri–Onitsha Expressway in Imo State on October 1, 2026, as they travelled to their assigned orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. They were rescued six days later, on October 7, during a joint security operation at Amakohia Ubi Village.
Describing the development as a major relief, a security source said the agencies had sustained a wide-ranging manhunt for the abductors since the rescue.
“This is a huge sigh of relief. Security agencies have been on a manhunt for the abductors, and we are elated that they have been captured. We strongly believe they will be charged to court by the DSS and the corps members will get justice,” the source said.
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