The 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State have reportedly been given the option to choose any of the six South-West states for their national service.
The arrangement is intended to allow the graduates to continue their service without returning to areas they may consider unsafe after their ordeal.
The victims were kidnapped on October 1, 2026, along the Owerri–Onitsha Road near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
They were travelling from Oyo State to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom when gunmen attacked the vehicles conveying them.
The Nigeria Police Force confirmed that the 20 prospective corps members were rescued on October 7 at Amakohia Ubi Village in Owerri West Local Government Area, following a joint operation involving security agencies.
The victims were taken for medical assessment and necessary care after spending seven days in captivity.
A parent of one of the rescued graduates told reporters that the victims had been offered the South-West posting option to enable them to continue with the current NYSC batch.
The police have said efforts are ongoing to identify and arrest those responsible for the abduction.