By Ado Oyeyemi
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate efforts to rescue 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members and other passengers abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road.
The victims were reportedly abducted on Thursday, October 1, 2026, around Umunoha in Imo State.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Anietie Iniedu, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, saying Nadada arrived in the state alongside two Commissioners of Police to assess the situation and ongoing search-and-rescue operation.
According to the statement, the DIG reviewed the operational strategies, deployment of personnel and assets, and issued additional directives to strengthen the coordinated response to the incident.
The assessment was conducted with the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso; the Commissioner of Police in charge of Federal Operations, Akpan Anifiok; the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Police Mobile Force, other security commanders and members of the management team of the Imo State Police Command.
Iniedu said the search-and-rescue operation had been intensified, with additional tactical teams and operational assets deployed to identified locations.
He added that intelligence-led tracking of the abductors was also ongoing, alongside coordinated efforts with other security agencies to locate and rescue the victims.
Nadada assured members of the public that the police remained committed to securing the safe release of the abducted persons.
He urged residents and the media to remain calm and vigilant, while appealing to anyone with credible information that could assist the operation to contact the police or the nearest security formation.
“All information received will be treated with strict confidentiality,” he said, adding that the police would continue the operation until the victims were safely rescued.
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The police said further updates would be provided as the search-and-rescue operation progresses.
