The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Garba Bosso, disclosed this on Saturday while giving an update on efforts to rescue the abducted prospective corps members.
According to Bosso, police and other security operatives used drones on Friday to identify the suspected location after tracking the abductors into a bushy area.
He said the security agencies were, however, proceeding with caution after receiving intelligence that the suspected camp had been mined with improvised explosive devices.
The commissioner said the priority of the security agencies was to ensure that the victims were rescued safely without exposing them or the operatives involved in the operation to additional danger.
The 19 prospective corps members were reportedly among a group travelling through Imo State to their NYSC orientation camps when gunmen attacked their vehicles along the Owerri-Onitsha Road.
The incident has triggered intensified search-and-rescue efforts involving the police and other security agencies.
The development came as the families of the abducted prospective corps members raised concerns over ransom demands reportedly made by their abductors.
The families said the kidnappers had demanded ₦50 million for each victim and threatened to harm them if the ransom was not paid.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate the search-and-rescue operation.
Authorities have continued to appeal for calm as security operatives work to develop a safe approach to the suspected camp and secure the release of the abducted corps members.
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