SDP Presidential Candidate Adebayo Demands Rescue Of Kidnapped NYSC Members, Calls On Governors To ‘Shut Down Governance’ Until Safety Is Ensured
The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has issued a fierce directive to Nigeria’s security apparatus following the harrowing abduction of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State.
In a strongly-worded statement released on Friday by Comrade Mark Adebayo, Head of Media and Communications for the Adewole Adebayo-Bugaje Presidential Campaign Organisation, the political leader expressed deep outrage and grave concern over the safety of the youth corpers, calling the ambush an “unacceptable assault on the nation’s future.”
The incident occurred at approximately 6:30 AM. on Thursday, October 1, 2026—Nigeria’s Independence Day. Heavily armed gunmen ambushed commercial buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway near the Umunoha community axis in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
The victims, primarily young graduates from tertiary institutions in Oyo State, were travelling from Ibadan to their permanent orientation camp in Bende, Abia State, when they were intercepted.While security forces swiftly intervened to rescue 10 victims at the scene, an unconfirmed number of corps members remain held in captivity.
Reacting to the development, Prince Adebayo called on the Inspector-General of Police, the military high command, and the Imo State Commissioner of Police to deploy every available rapid response asset to guarantee an immediate and safe rescue.
“We can not fold our arms while the youth of this nation, who have committed themselves to national integration and service, are hunted down like game on public highways,” Adebayo stated.
“Our security agencies must act with absolute urgency. This is a race against time.”
In an unprecedented move, the SDP candidate directed a sharp appeal to the Chief Executives of the affected region, explicitly demanding that the Governors of Imo, Abia, and Anambra states halt their routine political and administrative engagements to focus entirely on the crisis.
“I am calling on the Governors of Anambra, Abia, and Imo states to drop everything they are doing right now,” Adebayo urged.
“Shut down governance if you must, suspend political bickerings, and concentrate 100% of your state security resources on rescuing these young Nigerians. The primary purpose of government is the security and welfare of the people.”
As security agencies continue to comb the Mbaitoli axis, pressure is mounting on regional authorities to address the growing vulnerability of youth corpers travelling across the country for national service.
