Security agencies have delayed an immediate advance on the suspected hideout of kidnappers holding prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State, after intelligence indicated that the camp had been mined with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
CDA News Nigeria reports that the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, disclosed this on Saturday. He said operatives had located the suspected camp where the victims were being held but could not move in immediately because of the IED threat.
According to Bosso, security personnel trailed the kidnappers into the bush and deployed drones on Friday, which pinpointed the suspected location. He said the operation was still on, adding that the security team would still move into the bush at some point.
CDA News Nigeria gathered that the victims are the graduates who were abducted on Thursday along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State, while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their orientation camps. Earlier reports put the number of those abducted at 19. Saturday PUNCH reported that the abductors demanded ₦950 million for their release, a figure that has not been independently confirmed.
The commissioner did not say how many people were being held at the camp or give a timeline for the rescue. Details of the intelligence on the explosives were also not disclosed.
The development has deepened the anxiety of families, who continue to appeal for the safe return of their loved ones.
CDA News Nigeria will update this story as more information emerges.
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