The Department of State Services presented two witnesses on Friday in suit number HOU/22C/2026, prosecuting Usman Aliyu, Mohamed Aliyu, and Babangida Ali over the October 1, 2026, abduction of 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps travelling to orientation camps in Abia State and Akwa Ibom State.
Guided in his testimony by Principal State Counsel Mr. Ekezie Nwauzor, the second prosecution witness and commercial motorcyclist, Mr. Light Timothy, detailed how the first and second defendants engaged him to transport them to a secluded meeting point. Timothy explained that his passengers carried a concealed bag whose contents remained unknown until they arrived at an isolated location where assault weapons were unveiled.
How did the commercial motorcyclist escape the scene?
Timothy recounted that one of the passengers made a phone call speaking in a dialect resembling Hausa or Fulani, directing them along the Umuguma-Okuku Road located in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State. As apprehension set in and he considered turning back, four individuals emerged from the surrounding bush, seized the bag, and extracted AK-47 rifles.
The witness stated he narrowly avoided execution for transit delays after one of the armed men intervened on his behalf, allowing him to flee the area immediately.
What did the transport driver witness during the attack?
The third prosecution witness, an Akwa Ibom Transport Company driver named Mr. Sunday Udoh, testified that he and a colleague named Jeremiah were transporting corps members from Ibadan toward their designated orientation camps.
Following a transit stopover in Onitsha, the convoy departed at 5:30 am on October 1, 2026. Advancing toward Owerri shortly past a security checkpoint, Udoh observed two parked mini-buses blocking the path.
Sensing an impending security threat, Udoh attempted to execute a reverse maneuver, but his vehicle collided with an obstruction behind them, immobilising the transport. Udoh immediately powered down the ignition, crossed the highway, sought refuge within adjacent vegetation, and observed subsequent developments from concealment.
Positively identifying Usman Aliyu among the assailants, Udoh confirmed that the perpetrators marched five passengers from his vehicle and fifteen from Jeremiah's bus into the forest.
Following extensive cross-examination of both witnesses by defense counsel Paschal Ofoma, Justice Emeka Orafu adjourned further proceedings in the trial to November 3, 2026.