​An operative of the Department of State Services (DSS), Ikechukwu Emmanuel, testified before the Imo State High Court sitting at the Justice Oputa High Court Complex in Owerri, detailing how 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members were abducted at gunpoint.
The testimony unfolded as hearing commenced in the trial of suspects linked to the kidnapping syndicate.
​The abduction occurred in the early hours of October 1, 2026, at approximately 6:30 AM, near Umunoha along the Owerri–Onitsha Expressway in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. Two 18-seater buses conveying prospective corps members from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states were intercepted by armed assailants, who forced the victims into the surrounding bush at gunpoint.
​Following the ambush, Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, confirmed that security operatives initially rescued 10 victims. A joint security team comprising the DSS, military, and police subsequently mounted a search-and-rescue operation, liberating the remaining 20 abductees from the Amakohia-Ubi forest on October 7, 2026.
​Subsequent intelligence-led operations conducted between October 10 and October 14, 2026, across Port Harcourt in Rivers State and Aba South Local Government Area in Abia State, resulted in the arrest of five key suspects: Mohammed Ali, Usman Aliyu, Babangida Aliyu, Ibrahim Jiji, and Aminu Haliru.
Three other suspects escaped with gunshot wounds during the raid, prompting an ongoing manhunt.
​During the arraignment on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the defendants faced charges including conspiracy, hostage-taking, and unlawful possession of firearms.
Meanwhile, addressing public inquiries regarding the event, the Imo State Commissioner of Police stated that he was unaware of any ransom paid for the victims’ release, despite initial demands by the kidnappers of ₦1 billion, which were later reduced to ₦100 million. Hearing in the case continues.
