The Department of State Services (DSS) has arraigned five suspects over the abduction of 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and a civilian along the Owerri–Onitsha expressway in Imo State.
The case is being heard at the Imo State High Court in Owerri, following the suspects’ arrest during intelligence-led operations in Rivers and Abia states between October 10 and 14.
The victims were abducted in the early hours of October 1 when gunmen attacked two 18-seater buses conveying passengers from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. The attack occurred near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, at about 6:30 a.m.
Imo State Police spokesperson, Henry Okoye, had said 10 victims were rescued immediately, while search-and-rescue operations were launched to locate those taken away. The kidnappers subsequently contacted the victims’ families, initially demanding N1 billion in ransom before reportedly reducing the demand to N5 million per victim, amounting to N100 million for the 20 corps members.
On October 7, a joint team of DSS, military and police operatives rescued the abductees from the Amakohia-Ubi forest in Imo State following sustained search operations. The victims subsequently received medical attention.
However, Alirat Wahab, the mother of one of the rescued corps members, later told News Central Television that her family had paid N6 million to secure her son’s release, a claim that differed from the security agencies’ account of the rescue. Wahab and her husband, Obasanjo, subsequently said the money contributed by their family towards the ransom had been returned.
Following the rescue, security operatives continued efforts to apprehend those responsible for the abduction. The five suspects were arrested in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Aba, Abia State, between October 10 and 14, during operations led by the DSS in collaboration with the military, police and other security personnel.
Three other suspects reportedly escaped during the operations with varying degrees of gunshot wounds. A manhunt has since been launched to apprehend them and other fleeing members of the suspected kidnapping gang.
Boluwatife Enome
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