The Department of State Services (DSS) has arraigned five persons before the Imo State High Court over the alleged abduction of 24 people, including 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

The defendants are facing charges bordering on conspiracy, hostage-taking and unlawful possession of firearms in two separate cases.

Three of the defendants, Usman Aliyu, 25, aka Chonge; Babangida Aliyu, 21; and Mohammed Ali, 23, aka Smallie Pepper, were accused of abducting the prospective corps members on October 1, 2026.

According to the charge sheet filed at the Imo State High Court, Oru Judicial Division, Mgbidi, the defendants and other suspects still at large allegedly kidnapped the victims along the Owerri-Mgbidi-Onitsha Expressway.

The victims were reportedly travelling from Ibadan to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when they were abducted. They were rescued after seven days.

The three defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit hostage-taking, an offence punishable under Section 6 of the Imo State Prohibition of Hostage Taking and Related Offences Law No. 4 of 2009.

They were also accused of unlawfully possessing three AK-47 rifles, four magazines, a pistol and 81 rounds of live ammunition.

In a statement on Tuesday, the DSS identified the three suspects and outlined the allegations against them.

In a separate case, Aminu Haliru, 27, and Tange Ibrahim, 20, aka Jijji, were arraigned over the alleged abduction of four persons around Owerri and Mgbidi on October 4, 2026.

The prosecution alleged that the two defendants and other suspects still at large collected N8m as ransom for the victims’ release.

They were also accused of unlawfully possessing an AK-47 rifle and a pump-action gun.

The prosecution listed N1.8m as money recovered in the second case, while a DSS investigator and the victims were listed as witnesses in both cases.