The Department of State Services (DSS) has formally arraigned five suspects before a court in connection with the high-profile kidnapping of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members along the volatile Owerri-Onitsha expressway.

The primary group of suspects—identified as Usman Aliyu, Babangida Aliyu, and Mohammed Ali—alongside two additional co-accused individuals named Aminu Alihu and Dangi Abraham, faced a multi-count charge sheet encompassing serious offenses including abduction, hostage-taking, the collection of heavy ransoms amounting to millions of naira and foreign currency, and the illegal possession of firearms.

The criminal charges stem from a distressing incident where approximately 20 youth corps members heading to their respective orientation camps in Akwa Ibom and Abia states were intercepted and seized by gunmen. Although the victims spent harrowing days in captivity before eventually securing their release and reuniting with their families, security agencies intensified investigations to track down the perpetrators.

During the court proceedings presided over by Justice Emeka Orafu, all five defendants entered pleas of not guilty to the charges leveled against them. Following an application by the state counsel, Ekezie Nwauzo, requesting that the defendants remain in protective custody, the judge ordered that they be remanded in the custody of the DSS.

Defense attorneys representing the accused emphasized the constitutional principle that their clients remain presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The presiding judge subsequently adjourned the legal proceedings to upcoming dates in October for the commencement of formal hearings and trial proceedings.