Security operatives have arrested five suspected members of the gang linked to the abduction of 20 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State.

The suspects were arrested during intelligence-led operations conducted by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the military and the police in Rivers and Abia states between October 10 and 14.

According to a report by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), three other suspects escaped during the operations, sustaining varying degrees of injuries.

The arrests followed the abduction of the corps members on October 1, when gunmen attacked two 18-seater buses conveying passengers from Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, and took them into the bush.

The vehicles, reportedly branded with the Abia State Government logo, were conveying the passengers to Akwa Ibom and Abia states when the attackers intercepted them.

Henry Okoye, the police spokesperson in Imo State, had said the incident occurred at about 6:30am, adding that 10 victims were rescued shortly after the attack.

The remaining victims were subsequently held captive, with their abductors contacting their parents and demanding a ransom of N1 billion for their release. The kidnappers reportedly gave the families 24 hours to meet their demand.

The ransom was later reduced to N5 million per victim, bringing the total demand for the 20 corps members to N100 million.

On October 7, Anietie Iniedu, spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force, announced that a joint team of DSS, military and police operatives had rescued the abducted corps members at Amakohia Ubi village in Imo State following sustained search-and-rescue operations.

However, the circumstances surrounding their release generated controversy after Alirat Wahab, the mother of one of the rescued corps members, claimed in an interview with News Central Television that N6 million had been paid to secure her son’s freedom.

Her account contradicted the security agencies’ position on the rescue operation.

Wahab and her husband, Obasanjo, later disclosed that the money their family had contributed towards the ransom had been returned.

The latest arrests represent a further development in the investigation into the abduction. The report did not disclose the identities of the five suspects or indicate whether they had been formally charged in court.