Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Audu Bosso, said the victims were freed after security agencies mounted pressure on the abductors and combed the forest during a coordinated rescue operation.
Speaking with Channels Television on Thursday, Bosso said the police were not aware of any ransom payment, adding that the freed victims were receiving attention at the office of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The prospective corps members and the other victim were abd¥cted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road on October 1 while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
Following the incident, security agencies launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation to locate the victims and their abductors.
The Imo police had earlier disclosed that operatives located the kidn@ppers’ camp through drone surveillance but could not immediately access the area after discovering that it had reportedly been mined with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
Additional operational assets were later deployed as security agencies intensified efforts to reach the victims.
The abd¥ction had raised concern among the victims’ families following reports that the kidn@ppers demanded ₦50 million for each victim.
Police had earlier confirmed that 10 victims were rescued after the attack, while efforts continued to locate the remaining abductees.
The victims were eventually released from the Amakohia-Ubi forest in Owerri West Local Government Area on Wednesday following a coordinated operation involving security agencies.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma commended the security agencies for their intervention and expressed satisfaction with the collaboration between the Oyo and Imo state governments in securing the release of the captives.
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