Security agencies have delayed immediate advance on suspected hideout of kidnappers holding prospective National Youth Service Corps members in Imo State after intelligence indicated camp had been mined with improvised explosive devices.
Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, disclosed Saturday that operatives had located suspected camp where victims were being held but could not immediately move in because of IED threat.
He said security personnel trailed kidnappers into bush and deployed drones Friday, which pinpointed suspected location.
“Any moment, we’ll still move into bush. Yesterday, we were in bush, we trailed them up to particular location.
“But at that point in time, we couldn’t move in to where coordinate showed us they are because we ran drones yesterday. And drone actually showed us exactly their location.
“But our predicament is that with intel we have, camp is mined with IEDs,” Bosso said.
Police commissioner said security agencies were preparing to deploy bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers in operation.
“We are moving in there with high-velocity vehicles, that is, bulldozers. We’re moving in with bulldozers and APCs to see how we’re going to rescue these victims unhurt,” he added.
Police spokesperson, Henry Okoye, said security operatives were “closing in on kidnappers,” adding personnel deployed for operation had been briefed on how to proceed.
Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, had earlier deployed Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, and two commissioners of police to Imo State to strengthen rescue operation.
Nadada arrived in state Friday and reviewed personnel, strategy and operational assets deployed for search-and-rescue mission.
Graduates were travelling in two buses from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen attacked vehicles along Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State Thursday.
Meanwhile, parents of prospective corps members have disputed claims by security agencies that 10 passengers were rescued after attack.
Distraught parents said 10 passengers reported as rescued by police actually escaped from kidnappers by fleeing into bush during attack.
They maintained 20 prospective corps members were in captivity as of Saturday, raising questions over earlier accounts.
Imo State Police Command had announced shortly after attack that 10 victims had been rescued following intervention of security agencies.
Okoye said at time exact number of persons abducted was still being verified.
However, parents challenged rescue account Saturday during visit to Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at private residence in Bodija, Ibadan.
Conflicting accounts have further complicated efforts to establish exact number still being held.
Anxiety heightened among families following 24-hour ultimatum issued by kidnappers for payment of N50m for each of 20 victims, amounting to N1bn. Deadline expected to expire Sunday.
