DSS Arraigns Five Suspects Over Abduction of 20 Corps Members in Imo

The Department of State Services (DSS) has arraigned five suspected members of a criminal gang allegedly responsible for abducting 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and another passenger in Imo State.

The suspects were brought before the Justice Oputa High Court in Owerri, the state capital, on Tuesday, October 20, according to reports by The PUNCH and Channels Television.

The arraignment followed intelligence-led operations conducted between October 10 and 14 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State, during which the suspects were arrested.

The defendants were identified in reports as Ibrahim Jiji, Aminu Haliru, Mohammed Ali, Usman Aliyu and Babangida Aliyu.

The case stems from the abduction on October 1, when armed men attacked two buses conveying prospective corps members along the Owerri–Onitsha Expressway near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.

The victims were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their assigned NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when the attackers intercepted their vehicles.

The 20 prospective corps members and another victim regained their freedom on October 7 following a coordinated security operation at Amakohia-Ubi in Owerri West Local Government Area.

The rescue operation involved security agencies that had intensified efforts to locate the victims and apprehend those responsible for the attack.

Following the arrests, security sources disclosed that three other suspected gang members escaped during the operations with varying degrees of gunshot injuries. A manhunt was reportedly launched to track them down.

The arraignment marks a further step in the investigation into the abduction and efforts to bring those allegedly involved to justice.

Further details on the charges, the defendants’ pleas and the court’s orders were not immediately available in the initial reports.

The incident has renewed concerns over the safety of travellers on major highways in southeastern Nigeria and the security of young Nigerians travelling to attend NYSC orientation programmes.