Atiku condemns abduction of corps members, demands urgent rescue

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar denounced the abduction of prospective National Youth Service Corps members in Imo State on Monday, describing the event as "heartbreaking" and urging the Federal and Imo State governments, along with security forces, to swiftly secure the release of those still held captive. The incident unfolded four days after gunmen attacked two commercial buses carrying prospective corps members along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State, with the victims en route to NYSC orientation camps.

Atiku called on both levels of government and security agencies to prioritize the rescue operation. The Imo State Police Command had initially claimed 10 passengers were rescued and the buses recovered, while families later reported that 20 prospective corps members were being held. The police and military intensified the search for the missing individuals, with the Inspector-General of Police deploying key officials to oversee the rescue efforts.

Atiku also addressed the ongoing captivity of schoolchildren in Borno State, where more than 70 pupils and students were abducted from Mussa and Lassa communities. These children have been held for months, with the Borno State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria calling for their rescue. Atiku criticized the Tinubu administration's security record, linking recent kidnappings to a perceived failure to adequately protect Nigerians despite government assurances that fuel subsidy removal would boost security investments.