Five Arraigned Over Kidnapping of 20 Prospective NYSC Members in Imo

Five Arraigned Over Kidnapping of 20 Prospective NYSC Members in Imo

The Department of State Services (DSS) has arraigned five suspects before the Imo State High Court over the kidnapping of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and four other individuals in two separate abduction cases that jolted the nation earlier this month.

The three prime suspects linked to the corps members’ abduction—Usman Aliyu (25), also known as Chonge; Babangida Aliyu (21); and Mohammed Ali (23), alias Smallie Pepper—were brought before the Oru Judicial Division of the High Court in Mgbidi on Tuesday. They face charges of conspiracy, hostage-taking, and unlawful possession of firearms. According to the charge sheet presented by the DSS, the trio and other suspects still at large allegedly abducted the prospective corps members on October 1, 2026, along the Owerri–Mgbidi–Onitsha Expressway. The victims were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when their vehicles were intercepted.

Prosecutors told the court that the defendants demanded a staggering ₦950 million ransom for the release of the 20 captives. It was further alleged that the suspects actually collected ₦48 million and an undisclosed amount in United States dollars before the victims regained their freedom. The DSS also accused the defendants of unlawfully possessing three AK-47 rifles, four magazines, a pistol, and 81 rounds of live ammunition. All five defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to them. Following their plea, the trial judge, Justice Emeka Orafu, ordered that they be remanded at the DSS facility pending further proceedings. The case has been adjourned for hearing on various dates in late October.

In a related development, two other suspects—Aminu Haliru (27) and Tange Ibrahim (20), also known as Jijji—were arraigned in connection with the abduction of four individuals around Owerri and Mgbidi on October 4. The prosecution alleged that the pair and others at large collected ₦8 million for the release of those victims. They were also charged with illegal possession of an AK-47 rifle and a pump-action gun, with ₦1.8 million reportedly recovered from them.

The abduction of the 20 prospective corps members occurred in the early hours of October 1 along the busy Owerri-Onitsha road near Umunoha in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. The incident sparked widespread outrage and concern over the safety of young Nigerians travelling for national service. Following the abduction, security agencies launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation. The Imo State Police Command had disclosed that its operatives located the kidnappers’ hideout using drone surveillance but faced difficulties accessing the camp after discovering it had been planted with improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Additional equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers, was subsequently deployed. The victims were eventually released on October 7, exactly one week after their abduction. They were subsequently taken to the DSS hospital in Owerri for medical attention and debriefing.

While security agencies maintained that the victims were rescued through a joint operation involving the DSS, military, and police, the circumstances of their release have remained a subject of controversy. Some parents of the rescued corps members had earlier told journalists that they paid millions of naira in ransom to secure their children’s freedom, contradicting the official rescue narrative. Reports indicated that some families paid between ₦3 million and ₦6 million, with payments allegedly made in Ibadan and subsequently converted to dollars for delivery in Imo State. The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) had called for transparency, questioning whether the victims were genuinely rescued by security forces or released after ransom negotiations. The Imo State Government, however, distanced itself from the ransom claims. The arraignment of the suspects marks a significant step in the investigation, as security agencies continue efforts to apprehend other members of the kidnapping gang who reportedly fled with gunshot wounds during the intelligence-led operations that led to the arrests in Port Harcourt and Aba between October 10 and 14.