Police in Anambra State, Southeastern Nigeria, say they have rescued 15 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who were abducted by gunmen in the state.
The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
Mr Ikenga said the corps members had completed a three-week orientation program at the NYSC Orientation camp in Imo State and were on their way to Lagos State before their vehicle was intercepted on Tuesday at a junction in Ihiala, a community in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State. .
“The vehicle was diverted to the Isseke-Ihiala-Orlu Expressway where the gunmen took hostages,” he said.
‘How they were saved’
The spokesman said police were following the gunmen in response to information about the attack at 11:15 a.m.
“The gunmen saw that they were being followed by the police, abandoned the corps members and drove away in a Toyota Hiace bus with Reg Nos: EPE 353 YE which was transporting the corps members,” said Mr. Ikenga, the deputy superintendent of police.
He said that the members of the corps were “disambiguated” by police officers, pointing out that “the necessary rules have been perfected so that they can return to their destination.”
Increase the attack
Like other states in the south-east of Nigeria, security has deteriorated in Anambra State with frequent attacks by gunmen.
Although several people – especially government officials – have been kidnapped recently and killed in the country, the kidnapping of corps members is a new thing.
The attacks, mostly aimed at security officials and government officials, were attributed to the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which is disrupting the sovereign state for the Igbo-speaking people of the southeast.
But the group has repeatedly denied involvement in the attack.
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