Kidnappers fence off plot with explosives as pressured woman gives birth – THIS UPDATE

The worsening kidnapping crisis in parts of Nigeria has taken a disturbing turn, with security forces confronting a supposedly IED-protected kidnappers’ camp in Imo state, while a woman kidnapped by bandits in Niger state reportedly gave birth while in captivity.

The developments emerged from two separate kidnapping incidents involving prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) traveling to orientation camps in the South-East and South-South and farmers abducted from their fields in Niger State.

In Imo, security agencies say they have identified the location where potential kidnapped corps members are being held but have delayed a direct attack because intelligence indicates the suspected camp and surrounding streets may have been littered with improvised explosive devices.

The development has complicated the rescue operation and raised concerns that the kidnappers may have deliberately fortified their hideout to frustrate security forces and endanger both their captives and rescuers.

The police locate the camp of the alleged kidnappers

The prospective corps members were abducted on October 1 when gunmen attacked two buses traveling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

The attack occurred around Umunoha on the Owerri-Onitsha road in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of ​​Imo State.

According to Imo State Police Commissioner Audu Garba Bosso, security agents tracked the kidnappers in the bush and used drones to identify a location believed to be their camp.

However, he said intelligence indicated the area had been mined with IEDs, making an immediate raid too risky.

“Yesterday we were in the bush; we followed them to a particular point, but at that moment we couldn’t move to where the coordinates told us they were,” Bosso said.

He explained that security agencies are preparing additional equipment, including bulldozers and armored personnel carriers, to enable them to approach the suspected camp and rescue victims safely.

The number of people still in captivity has also become a matter of controversy.

The Imo State Police Command initially announced that 10 passengers had been rescued following the attack and that the two buses had been recovered.

However, parents of the potentially affected corps members later disputed the account, saying that the 10 people described as rescued had actually fled the kidnappers and taken refuge in the bush.

Parents said about 30 people were traveling on the two buses and claimed that 20 potential corps members remained captive.

They also questioned the passenger list provided by the transport company, saying that some names of those traveling were missing from the document.

The conflicting reports have made it difficult to independently establish the exact number of people abducted and those still detained.

The Defense Headquarters had earlier said that 20 passengers had been abducted and that 10 people, including eight potential corpsmen, had been rescued following intervention by troops and other security agencies.

As the rescue operation continues, families of future corps members face a ransom demand of around ₦1 billion.

Parents who visited the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, said the kidnappers had contacted them through the mobile phones of some of the abducted graduates.

They said the kidnappers demanded ₦50 million for each of the 20 victims and gave the families 24 hours to produce the money, threatening unspecified consequences if they failed.

The distraught parents have appealed to Ladoja, the Oyo State government and security agencies for urgent intervention.

Ladoja assured the families that efforts were being made to ensure the safe release of the victims.

The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Abimbola, also said he had been in touch with his Imo counterpart, who assured him that efforts were underway to rescue the unharmed victims.

Following the development, the Inspector General of Police Olatunji Disu dispatched the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of operations, Shehu Umar Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate the rescue operation.

Nadada arrived in the state with other senior police officers and conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and the ongoing search and rescue operation.

Police said additional tactical teams and operational resources had been deployed, while intelligence-led monitoring of the suspected kidnappers was intensified.

Law enforcement officials said the operation was conducted in collaboration with other security agencies with the aim of rescuing the victims and arresting those responsible.

As security agencies grapple with the dangerous terrain of Imo, another disturbing development has emerged in Mariga Local Government Area of ​​Niger State where bandits have kidnapped farmers from their fields.

The victims, mostly women, were intercepted by bandits on September 26 while collecting groundnuts around Tungan Rimi in Ma’undu-Beri Department. They were working under a “collect and get your share” agreement when the attackers struck.

The Chairman of Mariga Local Government Area, Alhaji Aliyu Bagga Muhamadu, revealed that the kidnappers had later established contact with relatives of some victims.

He said the kidnappers demanded ₦2 million for each victim, with the council putting the number of abducted farmers at 47.

Muhamadu also revealed that information reaching the council indicated that one of the abducted women had given birth while in captivity.

The disclosure heightened concerns about the conditions in which victims are detained and the vulnerability of women and other rural workers to armed groups.

Security personnel, assisted by local vigilantes, have reportedly been mobilized to locate the kidnappers and secure the release of the victims.

However, the Niger State Police Command gave a lower preliminary figure, saying that 20 people were abducted in Mukura village, Kasuwan-Garba district, on 26 September.

The two incidents have further highlighted the dangers faced by Nigerians traveling across states and farmers working in remote communities.

In the Imo case, the alleged presence of explosives around the kidnappers’ camp introduced a new level of danger to an already delicate rescue operation.

For families, the uncertainty was compounded by conflicting reports about the number of victims rescued and those still detained.

In Niger, news of the birth of a baby in captivity underlined the prolonged and potentially brutal conditions endured by kidnapping victims.

The developments have renewed calls for increased intelligence gathering, coordinated security operations and better protection of vulnerable communities and key transport routes.

For the families of the kidnapped graduates and farmers, however, the immediate priority remains the same: ensuring the safe return of their loved ones from the forests where they remain trapped.

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