Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), military and police have arrested five suspected members of a criminal gang allegedly involved in the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State.
Three other suspects reportedly escaped with gunshot injuries during intelligence-led operations carried out in Rivers and Abia states, prompting security agencies to intensify efforts to apprehend them.
The arrests were made between October 10 and 14 at different locations in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State, according to security sources.
The development comes less than two weeks after the 20 prospective corps members were rescued following their abduction along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Imo State.
Armed men had intercepted two buses conveying the prospective corps members on October 1, Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day, as they travelled from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
After the abduction, security agencies launched sustained search-and-rescue operations to locate the victims and track down their captors.
The 20 victims were eventually rescued on October 7 at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State during a coordinated operation involving the police, DSS, military and other security agencies.
They were subsequently taken for medical examination and necessary care.
Security agencies later widened the manhunt beyond Imo State, leading to operations in Port Harcourt and Aba South, during which the five suspects were arrested.
According to security sources, three other suspected members of the gang managed to escape despite sustaining varying degrees of gunshot injuries.
Security operatives are reportedly continuing efforts to locate and arrest the fleeing suspects.
The arrests are expected to assist ongoing investigations into the circumstances surrounding the abduction and the alleged criminal network behind it.
A security source described the arrests as a major relief, saying security agencies had maintained a wide-ranging manhunt since the victims were kidnapped.
“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 in court by DSS and the corps members will get justice,” the source said.
The arrests represent the latest development in the investigation after the police had earlier confirmed that efforts were underway to identify and apprehend those responsible for the abduction.
