Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, has commended President Bola Tinubu, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and security agencies following the rescue of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State on October 1.
The victims, who were travelling from Ibadan to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states, were abducted on October 1 along the Owerri-Onitsha expressway in the Umunoha area of Imo State.
They regained their freedom on Wednesday, seven days after the incident, following a joint operation involving security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), military and police.
The rescued victims were subsequently taken to a DSS facility in Imo State for medical attention.
Alli, in a statement issued by the Director of Media and Publicity of his campaign organisation, Bisi Oladele, described the successful rescue as a welcome development and evidence of the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting citizens.
He particularly commended Tinubu and Uzodimma for their leadership, while praising the security agencies for what he described as courage, professionalism and coordinated efforts in securing the release of the young graduates.
The APC candidate said the incident underscored the need for sustained intelligence gathering and stronger inter-agency collaboration to prevent similar attacks on travellers, particularly along vulnerable interstate routes.
He urged security agencies to identify and prosecute those responsible for the abduction, stressing that perpetrators of such crimes should be made to face the law.
Alli also called on Nigerians to support security agencies by providing useful and timely information that could assist in preventing criminal activities and protecting lives.
According to him, the safety of citizens is a collective responsibility requiring cooperation between security agencies and members of the public.
The 20 prospective corps members were travelling to their NYSC orientation camps when gunmen attacked two buses conveying them along the Owerri-Onitsha road.
Earlier reports said the abductors demanded ransom from the victims’ families.
Following their rescue, the Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier-General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, visited the victims at the DSS facility in Owerri, accompanied by senior security officials.
Alli prayed for the speedy recovery of the rescued prospective corps members and for their families to overcome the trauma arising from the abduction.
The rescue has brought an end to a week-long ordeal that generated concern in Oyo State and prompted calls for urgent action from government, security agencies and political leaders.
