OWERRI: The Department of State Services (DSS) has arraigned five suspected kidnappers before the Imo State High Court over the alleged abduction of 24 people, including 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members.
The suspects were arraigned on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, in two separate cases involving allegations of conspiracy, hostage-taking and unlawful possession of firearms.
Three of the defendants, identified as Usman Aliyu, 25, popularly known as Chonge; Babangida Aliyu, 21; and Mohammed Ali, 23, also known as Smallie Pepper, were accused of kidnapping 20 prospective corps members on October 1, Nigeria’s Independence Day.
According to the charge sheet filed at the Imo State High Court, Oru Judicial Division, Mgbidi, the defendants allegedly conspired with other suspects still at large to abduct the victims along the Owerri-Mgbidi-Onitsha Expressway.
The prospective corps members were reportedly travelling from Ibadan to their NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when they were kidnapped. They were rescued after spending seven days in captivity.
The DSS said the three defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit hostage-taking under Section 6 of the Imo State Prohibition of Hostage Taking and Related Offences Law No. 4 of 2009.
They were also accused of unlawfully possessing three AK-47 rifles, four magazines, a pistol and 81 rounds of live ammunition.
In a separate case, two other defendants, Aminu Haliru, 27, and Tange Ibrahim, 20, popularly known as Jijji, were arraigned over the alleged abduction of four people around Owerri and Mgbidi on October 4, 2026.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants, alongside other suspects still at large, collected ₦8 million as ransom for the release of the victims.
They were also accused of unlawfully possessing an AK-47 rifle and a pump-action gun.
According to the prosecution, ₦1.8 million was recovered in connection with the second case. A DSS investigator and the victims were listed as witnesses in both cases.
The arraignments form part of ongoing efforts by security agencies to investigate and prosecute suspected kidnappers operating in Imo State and other parts of the South-East.
The allegations against the five defendants are subject to determination by the court.
