\n<\/p>\n
Speaking to journalists, Bosso said they had tracked the kidnappers. <\/p>\n
“The drone actually showed us exactly their location. But our predicament is that with the intel we have… the camp is mined with IEDs [homemade bombs],” he said.<\/p>\n
Bulldozers and armoured vehicles are being deployed as police prepare for a rescue operation.<\/p>\n
Kidnapping for ransom is a major security problem in Nigeria, involving both criminal gangs and armed groups. <\/p>\n
The abduction in Imo state has caused widespread concern, with mass kidnappings less common in southern Nigeria than in some parts of the north.<\/p>\n
Paying ransoms is illegal and authorities have repeatedly warned families against doing so, but relatives of kidnapped people are often under pressure to do so to secure their release.<\/p>\n
The latest abduction highlights the risks faced by young people travelling across Nigeria to do their national youth service and has renewed calls for reforms.<\/p>\n
The NYSC has previously said it would not deploy members to areas considered high-risk because of violence or the threat of abduction. Most parts of south-eastern Nigeria have not previously been classified as high-risk areas.<\/p>\n
In the south-east, some previous abductions have been linked to separatist groups, including the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob).<\/p>\n
Authorities have not linked the current abduction to any group.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n