‘She Said Kidnappers Had Attacked’ — Mother Of Missing Corps Member

The mother of one of the National Youth Service Corps members reportedly abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Imo State has recounted the final contact she had with her daughter before the attack.

The woman said her daughter left Samonda in Ibadan, Oyo State, for her NYSC orientation camp in Abia State.

According to her, the young woman remained in contact with the family during the journey and used her phone location to keep them informed about her movement.

At about 6am on Thursday, the daughter reportedly sent a message to the family WhatsApp group indicating that kidnappers had attacked the vehicle.

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“She took off from Samonda in Ibadan to Abia. By 6am, she called in our family group chat and used her location so we could see her live updates. She then typed something about kidnappers and immediately called briefly. Since then, she has been unreachable,” the mother said.

The family later received information that the vehicle carrying the corps members had stopped in Abia before continuing towards Imo.

“We later got other updates that they had a stopover along Abia, en route to Imo, at about 4am this morning,” she added.

The incident occurred around Umunoha on the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Mbaitoli Local Government Area, where gunmen reportedly attacked two commercial buses.

Several passengers, including corps members travelling towards orientation camps in the South-East and South-South, were reportedly caught in the attack.

The buses were reportedly travelling from the Ibadan direction when they were intercepted.

Police subsequently said tactical teams and sister security agencies had been deployed and that 10 victims had been rescued.

The exact number of people originally abducted remained under verification.

The mother appealed for urgent intervention to locate the remaining victims and reunite them with their families.

The incident has also heightened concern among families whose children are travelling to NYSC orientation camps across the country.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the police rescue of 10 victims represents a significant development from the initial reports, but families are still waiting for a complete account of all those involved and confirmation of the whereabouts of any remaining victims.