An unspecified number of members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have reportedly been kidnapped by unidentified armed men.
The abductees who were traveling back after a successful orientation camp exercise in Ondo State were kidnapped in the late hours of Tuesday at 9:00 p.m., on their way to Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Confirming the incident, an eyewitness called a radio station in Port Harcourt to announce the kidnap of her sister-in-law and her colleagues.
The eyewitness stated that the Corps members were taken on the Rumuji axis of the East-West road in Enohua, Rives State.
However, five of the kidnapped Corps members were reported to have escaped from their abductors and they have reported to the Rumuji Divisional Police station.
In a swift response, the State’s Commissioner of Police, Okon Effiong, has deployed a police team to track and apprehend the perpetrators of the kidnap.
As disclosed by the Rivers State Police Command’s spokesperson, Grace Iringe – koko, some of the NYSC members have been rescued and all hands are on deck to free those still in captivity.
Disputing the claims of the police spokesperson, security source told Vanguard: “Those the police say they have rescued were lucky corps members, who escaped the kidnap. What happened was that a group of corps members, who live in Rivers were on their way to Port Harcourt from the NYSC Camp in Ondo after passing through orientation in that state.
“It happened on May 16. They likely had jointly hired the Port Harcourt bound bus. At Rumuji, about 9p.m., on the East West Road, they were already in Rumuji when the bus was hijacked. It is not clear how many persons were abducted but five of the travellers escaped and ran to the Rumuji Police Division to report the matter.”
