Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, has said he is unaware of any ransom payment made to secure the release of the 20 abducted National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, members and another victim in the state.

Bosso made this known on Thursday during an interview with Channels Television, saying the victims were freed after security operatives mounted sustained pressure on the kidnappers and combed the forest where they were being held.

The commissioner said the rescued victims were receiving attention at the office of the Department of State Services, DSS.

The prospective corps members and another passenger were abducted on October 1 along the Owerri-Onitsha Road while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

Following the incident, security agencies launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation to locate the victims and apprehend their abductors.

The Imo State Police Command had earlier disclosed that its operatives identified the kidnappers’ hideout through drone surveillance but could not immediately access the location because it was reportedly planted with improvised explosive devices, IEDs.

As the operation intensified, additional security personnel and operational assets were deployed to facilitate the victims’ rescue.

The abduction had heightened anxiety among the victims’ families, particularly following reports that the kidnappers demanded N50 million for each victim.

The police had earlier confirmed that 10 of the abducted persons were rescued, while security agencies continued efforts to locate the remaining victims.

The remaining 20 corps members and the other abducted victim were eventually rescued from the Amakohia-Ubi forest in Owerri West Local Government Area on Wednesday during a coordinated operation involving security agencies.

The victims have since been taken to safety and are receiving medical attention following their ordeal.