Security operatives have arrested five suspected members of a criminal gang allegedly involved in the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State on October 1.
The suspects were arrested during intelligence-led operations conducted in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State between October 10 and 14.
The operations involved operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the military and the police.
Five other suspected gang members reportedly escaped during the operations, while three were said to have sustained gunshot injuries, prompting security agencies to intensify the manhunt for them.
The 20 prospective corps members were abducted by armed men along the Owerri–Onitsha Expressway on October 1 while travelling to their assigned NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
They were 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 responsible for the abduction and dismantle the criminal network.
A security source described the arrests as a major relief, saying security agencies had sustained their search for the suspects since the incident.
“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,” the source said.
The source expressed hope that the suspects would be charged to court by the DSS and that the victims would get justice.
Security agencies are continuing efforts to locate the fleeing suspects.
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