Group of 20 graduates rescued after being abducted in Nigeria

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.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 southwestern Oyo state to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when gunmen attacked the vehicles.The incident has reignited concerns over insecurity and kidnapping along roads in the South-East.Before they were released, the father of one of the people who were abducted, Omotosho Adewale, told the BBC that the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of 50m naira ($37,680; £28,440), which he could not afford."There's no peace of mind. I've not eaten in three days," he said in between tears.Kidnapping for ransom is a major security problem in Nigeria, involving criminal gangs and armed groups. The authorities have not released any information about the identity of the attackers.