The Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday arraigned five suspects at the Imo State High Court in Owerri over their alleged involvement in the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and one civilian.
The suspects, named as Ibrahim Jiji, Aminu Haliru, Mohammed Ali, Usman Aliyu and Babangida Aliyu, appeared before the court in the state capital. They are accused of belonging to a criminal gang responsible for the abduction, which took place near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State on 1 October 2026.
The victims were travelling from Ibadan in Oyo State to their assigned NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when armed men intercepted two commercial buses along the Owerri to Onitsha Expressway. The attack occurred on Nigeria’s Independence Day.
Security agencies later rescued the 20 prospective corps members and the civilian on 7 October 2026 during a joint operation at Amakohia Ubi Village in Owerri West Local Government Area. The freed victims received medical attention at the DSS hospital in Owerri.
The five suspects were arrested in intelligence led operations conducted between 10 and 14 October in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State. The operations involved the DSS working with the military, the police and other security agencies. Three other suspects escaped during the encounters and sustained varying degrees of injury. Efforts to track them continue.
A security source described the arrests and subsequent arraignment as a significant breakthrough after a sustained manhunt. “This is a huge sigh of relief. Security agencies have been on a manhunt for the abductors, and we are elated that they have been captured. We strongly believe they will be charged in court by DSS, and the corps members will get justice,” the source said.
By A.Ikechukwu
