By Olayinka Ajayi
The Imo State Police Command has debunked being aware of any ransom paid for the release of the 20 abducted corps members and one other who regained freedom from their abductors in the state.
Speaking in an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Audu Bosso, said the kidnappers succumbed to pressure from security agencies who combed the forest during a rescue operation.
The commissioner, however, said that the freed victims were receiving attention at the office of the Department of State Services, DSS.
The prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and one other were abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in the state on October 1 while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
Following the abduction, security agencies launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation to locate the victims and their abductors.
The Imo State Police Command had earlier said its operatives located the kidnappers’ camp through drone surveillance but were unable to immediately enter the location because it was reportedly mined with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
The police later deployed additional operational assets as efforts intensified to reach the victims.
The abduction created worry among the victims’ families following reports that the abductors demanded ₦50 million for each victim.
Police had earlier confirmed that 10 victims were rescued following the attack, while efforts continued to locate the remaining abductees.
The latest development brings an end to the ordeal of the 20 corps members and the other abducted victim, who have now been reunited with safety and are receiving medical attention in Owerri.
The victims were, however, released from the Amakohia-Ubi forest in the Owerri West Local Government Area of the state on Wednesday following a coordinated operation involving security agencies.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma commended security agencies for their quick intervention.
In a statement he personally signed, Governor Uzodimma expressed satisfaction with the collaborative efforts of both the Oyo and Imo state governments towards the quick release of the captives.
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