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Nigeria: DSS Brings Five to Court for Kidnap of 20 Corps Members

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The Department of State Services (DSS) has brought five suspects before the High Court in Imo State regarding the dramatic kidnapping of 20 aspiring National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and one civilian. 

This court appearance occurred on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, following a joint security operation coordinated across multiple agencies.

The five individuals facing charges are Mohammed Ali (aka Smallie Pepper), Usman Aliyu (aka Chonge), Babangida Aliyu, Ibrahim Jiji, and Aminu Haliru. These defendants are accused of conspiracy, hostage-taking, and illegal firearms possession.

Three of the accused are specifically charged in connection with the October 1 abduction involving the 20 corps members, while the other two face separate allegations related to an October 4 kidnapping of four people from which ₦8 million was extorted.

The 20 prospective corps members were en route via two buses from Ibadan, Oyo State, heading toward their orientation programs in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. On October 1, 2026 (marking Nigeria's Independence Day), armed assailants stopped them on the Owerri–Onitsha Expressway in Imo State. The abductors demanded an enormous ₦1 billion ransom initially.

After an exhaustive, intelligence-driven seven-day rescue mission involving the Nigerian Army, Police, and DSS, all captives were released safely on October 7, 2026, from the Amakohia Ubi forest. Medical care was provided at the DSS Hospital in Owerri.

Nigeria's government created the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program on May 22, 1973, with the primary objective of reconstructing, reconciling, and restoring the nation following the catastrophic Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970).

Launched through the military administration of General Yakubu Gowon via Decree No. 24, this initiative aimed to mend the divisions caused by conflict and unite deeply fractured ethnic and regional communities.

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