Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has demanded the immediate and safe rescue of the prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State, saying insecurity must not be accepted as normal in Nigeria.

In a statement posted on X on Sunday morning, 4 October 2026, titled “Abduction of 20 Youth Corps Members: Insecurity Must Not Be a Norm”, the former Anambra State governor described the kidnapping of about 20 graduates on their way to orientation camp as “yet another distressing indication of the worsening insecurity in our country”.

Peter Obi on the NYSC abduction in Imo

“These young Nigerians were preparing to serve their nation, but they were unable to travel safely on our roads,” Obi wrote. “Families are increasingly burdened by the fear that their loved ones could fall victim to kidnapping.”

He said protecting lives and property was “the government’s foremost responsibility” and argued that the authorities too often responded only after the damage had been done. “We cannot continue to regard insecurity as an ordinary occurrence or act only after people’s lives have been disrupted,” he said.

“I call for the immediate and safe rescue of all the abducted corps members and the arrest of those responsible,” Obi added. “Nigeria must become a country where young people can travel, work, and serve their nation without fear.”

What is known about the abducted corps members

The graduates were travelling in two buses from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen attacked the vehicles on the Owerri–Onitsha Road at Umunoha, in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, on Thursday 1 October.

The exact number still held remains unclear. The Nigeria Police Force has said it is working to rescue 20 abducted persons, while the managing director of the transport company that operated the buses earlier put the figure at 19. The Imo State Police Command and Defence Headquarters both said 10 passengers were rescued soon after the attack. However, parents told Sunday PUNCH and Nigerian Tribune that those 10 escaped into the bush by themselves, and that 20 prospective corps members remained in captivity as of Saturday.

Speaking at the Ibadan residence of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, on Saturday, parents said the kidnappers had contacted them using the abducted graduates’ phones. They said the abductors were demanding N50 million for each victim, about N1 billion in total, and had given them 24 hours to pay. “There is no way we can raise such an amount at this period,” one parent, Alhaja Alimot Akande, said.

Police locate camp as rescue efforts continue

Imo State Commissioner of Police Audu Garba Bosso said on Saturday that drones had located the suspected kidnappers’ camp. He said security agencies had held back from moving in because intelligence suggested the camp had been mined with improvised explosive devices (IEDs). He said operatives planned to go in with bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers to rescue the victims unhurt.

The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has deployed the Deputy Inspector-General in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, and two commissioners of police to Imo to coordinate the operation. The police said they would sustain it until all 20 abducted persons were rescued. Imo police spokesperson Henry Okoye told Sunday PUNCH that operatives were “closing in on the kidnappers”.

The Oyo State Government has condemned the abduction and said Governor Seyi Makinde had directed that resources be deployed to support efforts to free the victims. It added that it was liaising with the Imo State Government, security agencies and the NYSC leadership.

At the time of writing, Pen Agency News had not confirmed any further release of the victims or any ransom payment.

Political reactions to the kidnapping

Obi is not the only politician to speak out. The campaign organisation of Governor Makinde, who is also seeking the presidency, said in a statement carried by THISDAY that the incident reflected what it called the Tinubu administration’s failure to secure Nigerians. On Friday, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, appealed for the graduates’ unconditional release and called for stronger security on inter-state routes used by corps members.

Pen Agency News found no direct response from the Presidency or the APC to Obi’s statement at the time of writing. After the rescue in August of 15 corps members and others abducted in Ofu, Kogi State, President Bola Tinubu said his administration remained “committed to ensuring that every Nigerian can travel across our country without fear”.

Featured image: Peter Obi at a press briefing in Abuja (file photo, 1 October 2026). Photo: Peter Obi / X