Group of 20 graduates rescued after being abducted in Nigeria
The group was kidnapped earlier this month while travelling for a community service programme
Group of 20 graduates rescued after abduction in Nigeria
Police say a group of 20 young people abducted in South-East Nigeria last week have been rescued.
The graduates were seized on 1 October while travelling for a national community service programme in Abia and Akwa Ibom states in the south of the country.
They were freed by police with help from other security agencies.
In a statement on Wednesday, police spokesman Ani Iniedu said the group was rescued at Amakohia Ubi in Imo State after a prolonged search-and-rescue operation. The group is being cared for and has been taken for medical evaluation.
He said police, the military and other security agencies carried out intelligence-led searches of forests and suspected hideouts, but did not say whether any ransom was paid or whether any arrests had been made.
The young people were taking part in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), a compulsory one-year community service programme for most Nigerian university graduates, in which people are posted to different parts of the country.
They were in two buses on a major highway travelling from Ibadan in southwestern Oyo state to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen attacked the vehicles.
The incident has renewed concerns about insecurity and kidnapping on roads in the South-East.
Before their release, the father of one of those abducted, Omotosho Adewale, told the BBC that the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of 50m naira ($37,680; £28,440), which he could not afford.
"There's no peace of mind. I've not eaten in three days," he said in between tears.
Kidnapping for ransom is a major security problem in Nigeria, involving criminal gangs and armed groups. The authorities have not released any information about the identity of the attackers.