Rita Enemuru, Reporting
FIVE suspects allegedly involved in the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and one civilian in Imo Stpate have been arraigned before the Justice Oputa State High Court in Owerri.
The suspects were brought before the court by the Department of State Services (DSS) following their arrest during intelligence-led operations in Rivers and Abia states.
The victims were seized by gunmen near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area on 1 October 2026, while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their assigned orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The abduction triggered a major security operation, and on 7 October the 20 prospective corps members and the civilian were rescued from the Amakohia-Ubi forest in Owerri West Local Government Area. They subsequently received medical attention at the DSS hospital in Owerri.
The DSS confirmed that the five suspects were apprehended in intelligence-led operations conducted between 10 and 14 October in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Aba, Abia State.
The operations involved a joint security team led by the DSS, working alongside the military, the police and other security operatives.
Three other suspects reportedly escaped with gunshot wounds, prompting a manhunt for them and other fleeing members of the suspected kidnapping syndicate.
The arraignment marks a further step in the investigation into the abduction, as the prosecution of the five arrested suspects gets underway.
