…Three others escape with gunshot injuries

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the military and the police have arrested five suspected members of a criminal gang allegedly responsible for the abduction of 20 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State on Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day.

The suspects were arrested during a series of intelligence-led operations conducted at different locations in Rivers and Abia states between October 10 and 14, 2026. Three other suspects reportedly escaped during the operations with varying degrees of gunshot injuries.

Security sources disclosed that the operations were carried out in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State.

The arrests followed the abduction of 20 NYSC members by armed men along the Owerri–Onitsha Expressway in Imo State on October 1, 2026, as they travelled to their designated orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

The victims were rescued on October 7 during a joint security operation at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State.

The latest operations mark a development in efforts by security agencies to track down those allegedly involved in the abduction, dismantle the criminal network and bring the suspects to justice.

A security source described the arrests as a major relief, saying security agencies had sustained a wide-ranging manhunt for the suspected abductors 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. We strongly believe they will be charged to court by DSS and the corps members will get justice,” the source said.

The source expressed confidence that the arrests would help advance efforts to prosecute those allegedly responsible for the abduction and secure justice for the victims.

The arrests come days after the rescue of the corps members, whose abduction on a major highway during the Independence Day celebrations raised concerns about the safety of travellers and NYSC participants.

Security agencies are expected to continue investigations to establish the roles of the arrested suspects and determine whether other members of the alleged criminal gang remain at large.