Nigerian police, pictured at the site of a previous abduction in June, said they rescued the young people

🌐 Here's What Happened

A group of 20 young people who were abducted in south-east Nigeria last week have been rescued, police say.

The graduates were kidnapped on 1 October while they were travelling for a national community service programme in the Abia and Akwa Ibom states in the south of the country.

They were rescued by the police with the assistance of other security agencies.

📌 Key Details

Police spokesman Ani Iniedu said in a statement on Wednesday the group were rescued at Amakohia Ubi in Imo State after a sustained search-and-rescue operation. The group are being looked after and have been taken for medical evaluation.

Bombs preventing rescue of kidnapped youths, Nigerian police say

The police, military and other security agencies conducted intelligence-led searches of forests and suspected hideouts, he said, but he did not say whether any ransom was paid or if any arrests had been made.

On Monday, the police said they had identified the location where the group was being held but could not rescue them because it was mined with explosives.

The group of young people were participating in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), which is a compulsory one-year community service programme for most Nigerian university graduates, where people are posted to different parts of the country.

The group were travelling in two buses travelling on a major highway from Ibadan in south-western Oyo state to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen attacked the vehicles.

📰 Source: BBC Africa