The Imo State Police Command says it has located the hideout where about 19 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in the state are being held.
The state Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, disclosed this while speaking with journalists on Saturday.
The prospective corps members were reportedly abducted at about 6:30 a.m. on Thursday along the Owerri-Onitsha Road near Umunoha, Imo State, while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
Police had earlier said 10 victims were rescued at the scene following the intervention of security agencies, while efforts were ongoing to determine the exact number of people still in captivity.
According to Bosso, security operatives used drones on Friday to locate the suspected kidnappers’ camp after trailing the abductors into the bush.
However, he said the police had not immediately moved into the location because intelligence indicated that the camp had been planted with improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Bosso explained that security agencies were preparing to enter the area with heavy equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers (APCs), to safely rescue the victims.
He said the operation would be carefully conducted to avoid putting the lives of the kidnapped NYSC members at further risk.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the abduction.
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