By our Reporter
IGP Olatunji Disu, Inspector-General of Police, has deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, DIG Shehu Umar Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate intensified search-and-rescue operations for 20 prospective NYSC corps members and other passengers abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road.
The victims were reportedly abducted along the Umunoha axis of the Owerri-Onitsha Road on October 1, 2026, prompting a coordinated security operation to locate and rescue them.
The DIG Operations arrived in the state with two Commissioners of Police and conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and the ongoing rescue efforts. He also reviewed the deployment of personnel, operational strategies and available assets before issuing further directives to strengthen the response.
The assessment involved the Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, CP Audu Garba Bosso; Commissioner of Police, Federal Operations, CP Akpan Anifiok; the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Police Mobile Force; other service commanders and members of the Imo State Police Command’s management team.
The police said the search-and-rescue operation had been intensified with the deployment of additional tactical teams and operational assets across identified areas. The operation is also being supported by intelligence-led tracking of the suspected abductors and coordinated efforts with other security agencies.
Nadada assured the public that the Nigeria Police Force remained committed to securing the safe rescue of the 20 abducted persons and would sustain the operation until the mission was successfully concluded.
He appealed to members of the public and the media to remain calm and vigilant, urging anyone with credible information that could assist the operation to contact the police or the nearest security formation. He assured members of the public that information provided would be treated with strict confidentiality.
