The Department of State Services has arraigned five suspects before the Imo State High Court sitting at the Justice Oputa Court Complex in Owerri over their involvement in the high-profile abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members and four other citizens.
Identified suspects includes, Usman Aliyu (also known as Chonge), Babangida Aliyu, Mohammed Ali (alias Smallie Pepper), Ibrahim Jiji, and Aminu Haliru, were brought to court under heavy security guard to face a multi-count charge bordering on conspiracy, hostage-taking, illegal possession of firearms, and ransom collection under the Imo State Prohibition of Hostage Taking and Related Offences Law. The prosecution revealed that fourteen other conspirators remain on the run, while three members of the armed gang sustained gunshot injuries during security operations and escaped into nearby forests. Upon having the charges read and translated into Hausa, the defendants pleaded not guilty to all counts.
The harrowing ordeal began on October 1, 2026, Nigeria’s Independence Day, when 20 prospective corps members traveling together in a bus from Ibadan, Oyo State, were heading toward their designated orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. As their vehicle navigated the Owerri–Mgbidi–Onitsha Expressway in Imo State, heavily armed gunmen ambushed the vehicle, forcing it off the road and dragging the young graduates along with four other passengers into dense forest hideouts. The sudden abduction sparked nationwide anxiety and prompted immediate top-level coordination between government officials and security commanders across state lines.
In response to the kidnapping, a joint tactical team led by operatives of the Department of State Services, alongside military personnel, police officers, and other security agents, launched a massive multi-agency rescue and tracking campaign. Utilizing high-resolution drone surveillance and intelligence gathering, security forces mapped out the kidnappers’ perimeter, encircling the sprawling forest corridors where the hostages were being held. The sustained pressure from ground troops and aerial intelligence crippled the gang’s movement and forced them to abandon their primary camp.
While security agencies maintained that continuous pressure from tactical operations secured the victims’ freedom after seven days in captivity, details emerging from the court arraignment and affected families revealed that a substantial ransom was also paid to the bandits. Relatives of the abducted corps members had to pool funds together under extreme distress, ultimately transferring an estimated sum of ₦48 million along with foreign currency to the kidnappers before the young graduates were allowed to walk free.
Following the release of the victims, security forces intensified their raid on the gang’s logistics network, resulting in the arrest of the five main suspects now facing prosecution, as well as the recovery of offensive weapons. With the court proceedings officially underway in Owerri, security agencies have maintained an intensified manhunt in the region to track down the fleeing, wounded gang members and bring all remaining accomplices to justice.
