The defendants entered not-guilty pleas before an Imo State High Court over two separate abduction cases involving prospective NYSC members and other victims.
By Wapcodehub9ja LIVE News Desk
Five defendants accused of involvement in two separate abduction cases in Imo State have pleaded not guilty to charges bordering on conspiracy, hostage-taking and unlawful possession of firearms before the Imo State High Court in Owerri.
Three of the defendants, identified as Usman Aliyu, 25, also known as Chonge; Babangida Aliyu, 21; and Mohammed Ali, 23, also known as Smallie Pepper, are accused of abducting 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members on October 1, 2026. The victims were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their assigned orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when they were reportedly abducted near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area.
According to the charge sheet, the prosecution alleged that the three defendants demanded and collected ₦48 million and an undisclosed amount in United States dollars for the release of the victims. They were also accused of unlawfully possessing three AK-47 rifles, four magazines, a pistol and 81 rounds of live ammunition. The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The other two defendants, Aminu Haliru, 27, and Tange Ibrahim, 20, also known as Jijji, face allegations relating to the abduction of four people around Owerri and Mgbidi on October 4. The prosecution alleged that the pair and other suspects still at large collected ₦8 million for the victims’ release. They also pleaded not guilty to charges involving conspiracy, hostage-taking and unlawful possession of firearms.
The 20 prospective corps members and the other victims in the first case were rescued from the Amakohia-Ubi forest in Owerri West Local Government Area on October 7. They subsequently received medical attention. Security agencies later arrested the five defendants in intelligence-led operations conducted between October 10 and 14 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Aba, Abia State.
The court adjourned the proceedings until October 22, 2026, for further hearing. The prosecution of the defendants will determine how the allegations are addressed through the judicial process. All five defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.
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