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Gunmen have abducted 20 corps members serving under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) along the Owerri–Onitsha Road by Umunoha community in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of the state.

Confirming the unfortunate incident, in a telephone conversation with Channels Television, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Imo State Police Command, Henry Okoye, said the corps members were reportedly travelling in a commercial bus from Ibadan, Oyo State, to different orientation camps in the South-East and South-South states when they were intercepted by the gunmen.

He said the Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment, while the police and other security agencies have intensified efforts to rescue the victims unhurt and unconditionally.

Okoye added that security operatives were currently combing surrounding bushes, while a Rapid Response Team (RRT) had also been deployed to track down the kidnappers and secure the safe release of the corps members.
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The incident came weeks after the police said that 11 people, including an unidentified number of corps members serving under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), were rescued after gunmen attacked vehicles along the Aloma–Egane Expressway.

The abduction reportedly occurred at about 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday, August 26, around Ogene Zaria, near the Ogene Zaria–Onicha-Igo Junction.

The armed men reportedly emerged from the bush and blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions, before abducting some of the passengers while others escaped into the bush.

The victims were, however, rescued by Joint security forces comprising the police, military, Department of State Services (DSS), and other auxiliary forces on August 31.

The Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, told journalists that the corps members were rescued from Egume Forest in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, after a coordinated security operation.

President Bola Tinubu has hailed the rescue, saying the well-coordinated Search and Rescue (SAR) operation carried out by a combined team of personnel from the military, the Nigerian Police Force, the Department of State Services, and local vigilantes safely rescued all the abductees, comprising eight males and 13 females, from the den of kidnappers in the forests of Ofu on Monday afternoon.

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Suspected bandits have abducted scores of farmers in separate incidents in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State, with the chairman of the local government putting the number of victims at 47 and saying the abductors are demanding ₦2 million for each victim.

The victims were reportedly abducted while harvesting groundnuts at Tungan Rimi in Ma’undu-Beri Ward of Mariga Local Government Area.

The incident reportedly occurred on Saturday afternoon, with the attackers also taking some men working on nearby farms.

The Chairman of Mariga Local Government Area, Alhaji Aliyu Bagga Muhamadu, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview, saying reports reaching him indicated that one of the abducted women had given birth while in captivity.

According to him, the abductors have contacted some relatives and are demanding a ransom of ₦2 million for each of the victims before their release.

The council chairman added that security personnel, alongside local vigilantes, had been mobilised to rescue the victims.

He said the joint security team had engaged the suspected bandits around Alibani village after passing through Kasuwan Garba and Biri, during which a vigilante sustained injuries.

Sources further said the armed men were sighted moving through areas between Mangoro and Wamba after allegedly emerging from the Dogon Dawa axis.

The attackers were also said to have moved into the Bariki Forest, also known as Ma’undu, where the abducted persons are suspected to be held.

Some relatives of the victims said they had yet to establish direct contact with their loved ones or receive definite information about their whereabouts, although available reports suggest they may be in the Ma’undu Forest.

However, the Niger State Police Command gave a different figure, confirming the abduction of more than 20 persons at Mukura village in the Kasuwan-Garba District of Mariga Local Government Area.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said in a statement that the incident was reported on September 28, adding that the victims were abducted at about 3 p.m. on September 27.

He said, “Joint security rescue efforts are ongoing.”

While the Mariga council chairman said 47 people were abducted in the groundnut-farm incident, the police statement put the number at more than 20 persons.

The discrepancy in the figures could not immediately be reconciled, while security agencies continue efforts to rescue the victims.

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A United States court has sentenced two Nigerian-born former members of the US Air Force over their involvement in a cyber-fraud scheme that resulted in approximately US$1.68 million in losses.

The case involved the use of electronic communications and fraudulent representations to obtain money from victims, with investigators tracing financial transactions connected to the proceeds of the scheme.

The two men were identified in the report as Oluwaseun Adebayo and Abdulahi Abubakar. Both had previously served in the United States Air Force before becoming involved in the criminal case.

Prosecutors presented evidence linking the former service members to the fraudulent activities and the movement of funds associated with the scheme.

Following the investigation, the men were prosecuted in the United States and subsequently convicted of offences connected to the cyber-fraud operation.

The court imposed prison sentences after finding them responsible for their respective roles in the scheme.

The case highlights the continued efforts by US law-enforcement authorities to investigate cyber-enabled financial crimes, particularly schemes in which victims are deceived through electronic communications and money is transferred through financial accounts.

Investigators also examined financial transactions as part of efforts to establish how the proceeds of the alleged fraud were received and handled.

The US authorities have increasingly pursued individuals involved in sophisticated fraud schemes, regardless of their previous employment or professional backgrounds.

In this case, the fact that the two accused had served in the US Air Force did not prevent their prosecution once investigators established evidence linking them to the financial offences.

The convictions followed a wider investigation into the activities that generated the reported US$1.68 million in losses.

Court proceedings ultimately resulted in prison sentences for both men, bringing a legal conclusion to the prosecution while underscoring the consequences associated with large-scale cyber-enabled fraud.

The case also demonstrates how financial records and electronic communications can form an important part of investigations into online fraud.

Authorities continue to encourage members of the public to exercise caution when dealing with unsolicited online communications and financial requests, as cyber-fraud schemes can target victims through different forms of electronic interaction.

The sentencing of Adebayo and Abubakar marks the latest development in a case that involved former US military personnel and a substantial amount of money allegedly obtained through fraudulent activities.