On Tuesday, the [Department of State Services (DSS)](https://dss.gov.ng) in Imo State formally charged three individuals with the abduction of twenty prospective [National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)](https://nysc.gov.ng) members that occurred on Nigeria's Independence Day. The arraignment took place at the [Imo State High Court](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imo_State) in the Oru Judicial Division, Mgbidi, and the defendants also face accusations of illegal firearm possession.
**What charges are the defendants facing?**
The three accused – Usman Aliyu, 25, known as “Chonge”; Babangida Aliyu, 21; and Mohammed Ali, 23, also called “Smallie Pepper” – are charged with conspiracy to commit hostage‑taking under Section 6 of the Imo State Prohibition of Hostage Taking and Related Offences Law No. 4 of 2009. In addition, the charge sheet alleges unlawful possession of three AK‑47 rifles, four magazines, a pistol and eighty‑one live rounds. A DSS prosecutor stated, “The abduction was a flagrant violation of the law and a direct threat to the safety of our young citizens.”
**Who were the other suspects and what is their alleged crime?**
Alongside the three primary defendants, two other men – 27‑year‑old Aminu Haliru and 20‑year‑old Tange Ibrahim, also known as “Jijji” – were arraigned for a separate kidnapping of four individuals near Owerri and Mgbidi on 4 October, just four days after the Independence Day incident. Prosecutors claim the pair, together with accomplices still at large, demanded eight million naira for the victims’ release and illegally possessed an additional AK‑47 rifle and a pump‑action shotgun.
**What evidence and recovery were reported?**
The charge sheet filed in the Imo State High Court notes that N1.8 million was recovered in the second case. Both cases list a DSS investigator and the rescued victims as key witnesses. The twenty NYSC aspirants, who were traveling from Ibadan to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom, were freed after seven days of captivity.
The arraignments underscore the ongoing security challenges faced by the NYSC programme and highlight the DSS’s intensified efforts to combat kidnapping and illegal arms trafficking in the southeastern region of Nigeria.