Corps members’ abduction: Court begins trial of 3 suspects, others

The Mgbidi High Court sitting in Owerri, on Thursday, commenced hearing in the case involving the October 1 abduction of 20 prospective corps members and other passengers.

Recall that three suspects, Usman Aliyu, Babangida Aliyu, and Mohammed Ali, who were arraigned on Tuesday, pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against them.

They were arraigned on a three-count charge of conspiracy to commit hostage-taking, abduction, and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.

At the resumed hearing, the Prosecution Counsel, Mr Ekezie Nwuzor, called the principal investigative officer, Mr Ikem Emmanuel, as the first prosecution witness to testify.

Testifying, Emmanuel told the court that the corps members were abducted on October 1 around 6:30 a.m. on the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway, while travelling from Ibadan to Abia and Akwa Ibom NYSC Orientation Camps.

He said that the victims were ambushed by an AK-47-wielding gang and held captive in a forest for a week until ransom was paid.

Emmanuel further said that joint security operations by the DSS, Army, and Police led to the arrest of the three suspects between October 10 and October 14 in a forest between Rivers and Abia.

He told the court that investigative interviews, phone data analysis, and identification parades positively linked the suspects to the crime scene and ransom collection.

“A commercial motorcyclist, Timothy, identified Usman Aliyu, Babangida Aliyu, and Mohammed Ali, as the armed men present at the point of collecting the ransom,” Emmanuel said.

He also said that an Akwa Ibom Transport Company bus driver, Mr Sunday Odo, identified Usman as the armed attacker, who approached his vehicle.

He further testified that the victims identified the suspects after they removed their face masks during their seven-day captivity in the bush.

“Usman admitted to participating in the kidnapping in his confessional statement, revealing that 11 persons executed the crime,” Emmanuel said.

He also told the court that the confessional statements of the defendants were recorded in the presence of legal representation, in compliance with the statutory provisions.

In a related development, Emmanuel disclosed that two suspects, Aminu Aliyu and Dangi Ibrahim, were arrested in Port Harcourt over the October 4 kidnap of three other travellers in Mbaitolu LGA.

He told the court that the victims were abducted along the Umuawaka-Ogbu Road and held in Ndegwu Forest before being released on October 9.

He said that the confessional statements of the suspects were also recorded under cautionary procedure in the presence of legal counsel and DSS legal officers.

The Presiding Judge, Justice Emeka Orafu, adjourned both cases to October 27, October 28, October 29, and October 30 for continuation of hearing.

Orafu also solicited the cooperation of the counsel to ensure a speedy trial and judgment before January 2027.