A convoy of two buses carrying twenty prospective [National Youth Service Corps](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Youth_Service_Corps) (NYSC) graduates was ambushed on Thursday along the Owerri‑Onitsha highway in Umunoha, [Imo State](https://imostate.gov.ng).
The gunmen first demanded N50 million for each trainee but later reduced the amount to N5 million per victim, according to relatives of those taken.
Alhaja Alimot Akande, a relative of one of the abducted youths, reported that the kidnappers had begun physically assaulting the captives, including the women in the group.
The [Oyo State Government](https://oyostate.gov.ng) announced it is collaborating with Imo authorities and security agencies to negotiate the release, with Commissioner for Information Prince Dotun Oyelade noting that experience from the recent Oriire kidnapping is being applied to aid the effort.