Nigerian police say they have found a camp where 19 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) recruits are being held by gunmen. Police, however, have yet to move into the camp as they believe it may be booby-trapped. Imo State Police Commissioner Audu Bosso said drones had been used to track the camp down.
The recruits were abducted last week, en route to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. They were on their way from Ibadan in south-western Nigeria, when gunmen ambushed their buses near Umunoha in Imo State. Bosso said police had tracked the kidnappers to the camp. “The drone actually show us exactly their location,” he told journalists.
He said security forces were in a bind as intelligence had shown that the camp was mined with improvised explosive devices. Police are using bulldozers and armoured vehicles as preparations continue for a rescue operation. Authorities have yet to reveal the exact location of the camp. They have also not revealed those responsible for the abduction.
One parent, Omotosho Adewale, told the BBC the kidnappers had asked for a ransom of 50 million naira. Adewale said he could not afford the amount and asked the government to help. “There’s no peace of mind. I’ve not eaten in three days,” he said. The abducted recruits were on their way to start their national service.
The NYSC is a compulsory one-year programme for most Nigerian university and polytechnic graduates. Participants are sent to different parts of the country to work, do community service and promote national unity. Kidnapping for ransom is a big problem in Nigeria. Authorities have warned families not to pay ransoms, which are illegal.
However, families of those abducted, often find themselves under pressure to pay to secure their release. The latest incident has raised concerns as mass kidnappings are less common in southern Nigeria than in some northern areas. It has also reignited concerns about the safety of young Nigerians travelling for national service.
The NYSC has said it would not deploy members to areas it considers to be high-risk areas due to the threat of violence or abduction. Most parts of south-eastern Nigeria have not previously been considered to be high-risk areas. Some previous abductions in the region have been linked to separatist groups, including the Indigenous People of Biafra. Authorities have not linked the latest abduction to any group.
