Twenty prospective National Youth Service Corps members abducted while travelling to orientation camps have returned to Ibadan and reunited with their families following their rescue in Imo State. The graduates were handed over to relatives on Thursday, October 8, 2026, after debriefing at the Department of State Services headquarters in Aleshinloye, Ibadan South-West Local Government Area.
Parents waited for approximately three hours at the DSS facility before the reunion, with the handover reported to have taken place around 8:30 p.m. Access was initially limited to representatives of the families, while other relatives remained outside. For those waiting, the final stage of receiving their children followed days of uncertainty about their safety.
The graduates were abducted on October 1 along the Owerri Onitsha Road near Umunoha in Imo State. They had been travelling from Ibadan in two buses towards orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. Reports from the families’ return to Ibadan said 20 of the 30 prospective corps members were taken, while the remaining 10 escaped through the bush.
Police confirmed that the 20 graduates were rescued on Wednesday, October 7, at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State following coordinated search and rescue operations. The operation involved the police, military, DSS and other security agencies. The freed graduates were taken for medical assessment and necessary care before returning to Oyo State.
At the reunion, one of the rescued graduates, Akande Morenikeji, described captivity as stressful. Another survivor, who asked not to be named, reportedly began crying on seeing her parents. Their accounts offered a brief indication of the ordeal, although no comprehensive assessment of the survivors’ physical or psychological condition has been made public.
Faith Felicia Abiala, whose daughter was among those abducted, said the news of the kidnapping had left her unable to eat. “I cannot recount all the tears and sorrow, but I give thanks to God that I am seeing her alive today,” she said. Abiala thanked security teams in Oyo and Imo for supporting the families during efforts to secure their children’s release.
Another mother, Alhaja Alimot Akande, said confirmation that the captives were free had finally allowed her to sleep peacefully. Before the rescue, parents had sought help from the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja. The monarch later announced their release through his media aide, Adeola Oloko, saying Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma had confirmed it to him by telephone.
Questions remain over whether ransom contributed to the release. Alirat Wahab, whose son was abducted, publicly said her family paid N6 million and described families pooling money before converting it into dollars. Imo State Commissioner of Police Audu Bosso said he was unaware of any ransom payment and attributed the release to sustained security pressure. The payment claims have not been independently verified, and the precise circumstances of the release remain unresolved.
The homecoming has also renewed calls for safer travel arrangements for graduates reporting for national service. Abiala urged the government to provide stronger security or enable prospective corps members to travel by air. Her appeal reflects the circumstances of this journey: young graduates travelling across several states to begin service instead faced abduction before reaching their camps.
Police said efforts were continuing to apprehend those responsible. The reviewed announcements did not establish when the rescued graduates would resume their journey to orientation camps or what continuing support would be provided. Their return has brought families back together, while the investigation and decisions about recovery and national service remain the next steps.
