IG Deploys Two CPs To Assist DIG In Rescuing 20 Prospective Corps Members, Others Abducted In Imo, Police Tactical Unit Brings In War Drones
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has deployed two Commissioners of Police to assist the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, DIG Shehu Nadada, in the search and rescue operation for 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, members and other passengers abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State.
The deployment followed the abduction of the victims on October 1, 2026, when suspected gunmen attacked two buses around the Umunoha axis of the road in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of the state.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, CSP Anietie Iniedu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday, saying Nadada arrived in Imo with two Commissioners of Police and immediately conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and the ongoing rescue efforts.
The assessment was carried out alongside the Imo State Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Garba Bosso; the Commissioner of Police, Federal Operations, CP Akpan Anifiok; the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Police Mobile Force; other service commanders and members of the management team of the Imo State Police Command.
Iniedu said the police had intensified the search and rescue operation, with additional tactical teams and operational assets deployed across identified areas to locate the abductors and secure the safe release of the victims.
He added that the Police Tactical Unit had also deployed advanced operational assets, including war drones, to support intelligence-led tracking and surveillance of the abductors’ suspected locations.
According to him, Nadada reviewed the operational strategies, deployment of personnel and available operational assets, while issuing further directives aimed at strengthening the coordinated response.
He said the operation was being supported by intelligence-led tracking of the suspects and coordinated efforts with sister security agencies.
Nadada assured members of the public that the police remained committed to securing the safe rescue of the abducted persons, stressing that the operation would continue until the mission was successfully concluded.
“The Nigeria Police Force is committed to securing the safe rescue of the 20 abducted persons and will sustain the operation until the mission is successfully concluded,” Iniedu quoted Nadada as saying.
The DIG urged members of the public and the media to remain calm and vigilant, while encouraging anyone with credible information that could assist the operation to contact the police or the nearest security formation.
“All information received will be treated with strict confidentiality,” he said.
The buses were reportedly conveying prospective corps members travelling from Ibadan to orientation camps in the South-East and South-South when they came under attack.
The police said further updates would be issued as the search and rescue operation progresses.