Family Raises Alarm After NYSC Member Reportedly Abducted Along Imo-Abia Road
A family has appealed to the Nigerian government and security agencies for the urgent rescue of a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Kehinde, who was reportedly abducted while travelling to Abia State for the mandatory service programme.
According to an emotional account by the corps member’s family, Kehinde left for Abia with other prospective corps members and was travelling with a group of buses when the alleged incident occurred along the Imo-Abia axis early Thursday morning.
The family said they had been monitoring the journey through live location sharing when, shortly after 6:00 a.m., Kehinde reportedly sent a brief message to the family group stating, “Kidnappers,” before placing a missed call.
The family said the phone subsequently went offline, leaving relatives unable to establish direct contact with the corps member.
According to the account, the travellers had spent the night at an undisclosed location before continuing their journey at about 4:30 a.m. The family said photographs and videos later circulated among them allegedly showed that the bus carrying Kehinde and other passengers had been taken.
The family claimed that three buses were travelling together, with one reportedly escaping while the occupants of the other buses were allegedly taken into the bush.
The relative further claimed that about 19 people were believed to have been inside the affected bus, although the exact number of victims and circumstances surrounding the incident have not been independently verified.
The family said repeated attempts to call Kehinde's phone were unsuccessful, although the line reportedly rang without anyone answering.
Kehinde's twin sibling, Taiye, who was posted to Enugu State, has reportedly arrived safely at the NYSC camp, according to the family.
The family has appealed to the Nigeria Police Force, the Federal Government and other security agencies to intensify efforts to locate and rescue Kehinde and the other people reportedly taken during the incident.
The reported abduction comes amid heightened concerns over the safety of travellers and prospective corps members travelling to different parts of the country for the NYSC programme.
Authorities have yet to publicly confirm the reported abduction or provide details on the identities and number of people allegedly affected.
Mother of NYSC Corps Member Kidnapped Along Akwa Ibom Road While Travelling From Ibadan https://t.co/HKUQY4BERu pic.twitter.com/4a4srKKRSL
— Star Potter (@Starpotternews) October 1, 2026
