The suspects were arrested in Rivers and Abia states, while security operatives continue searching for three alleged gang members who reportedly escaped.

The Department of State Services (DSS) has arraigned five suspects over the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and another passenger along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway in Imo State.

The suspects, identified as Mohammed Ali, Usman Aliyu, Babangida Aliyu, Ibrahim Jiji and Aminu Haliru, were brought before the Justice Oputa State High Court in Owerri on Tuesday.

Their arraignment followed intelligence-led operations conducted between October 10 and 14 in Rivers and Abia states, where security operatives arrested them over their alleged links to the kidnapping.

Reports by Channels Television and TheCable said the arrests were carried out by a joint security team led by the DSS, working with the military, police and other security personnel.

Three other suspects reportedly escaped during the operations with varying degrees of gunshot injuries. Security agencies have since launched a manhunt for them and other suspected members of the gang.

Details of the charges against the five suspects were not immediately available in the reports reviewed.

How gunmen abducted 20 NYSC members in Imo

The case stems from an attack on October 1, when gunmen intercepted two 18-seater buses conveying prospective corps members from Ibadan, Oyo State, towards their assigned NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

The attack occurred near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway.

The gunmen reportedly forced the passengers into the bush, abducting 20 prospective corps members and another passenger.

Henry Okoye, spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, had said 10 victims were rescued shortly after the attack, while security operatives began searching for those still held by the kidnappers.

The abduction prompted a wider search-and-rescue operation involving security agencies. Police later said they had located the kidnappers’ camp using drone surveillance but faced difficulties advancing because the area was reportedly planted with improvised explosive devices.

On October 7, the 20 prospective corps members and the other abducted passenger regained their freedom during a joint security operation at Amakohia-Ubi forest in Owerri West Local Government Area. The victims were subsequently taken to the DSS hospital in Owerri for medical attention.

Ransom claims emerge after NYSC members’ rescue

The circumstances surrounding the victims’ release also drew attention after families reported raising money in response to ransom demands.

The kidnappers initially demanded ₦1 billion, according to a report by TheCable, before reportedly reducing the demand to ₦5 million per victim, amounting to ₦100 million for the 20 corps members.

Alirat Wahab, mother of one of the rescued prospective corps members, later told News Central Television that her family had paid ₦6 million towards securing her son’s release.

The disclosure raised questions about the circumstances of the rescue, as the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, had said he was unaware of any ransom payment and attributed the victims’ release to pressure from security operatives.

Wahab and her husband, Obasanjo, subsequently said the money their family contributed had been returned. They said they could not confirm whether the representatives who negotiated with the kidnappers had eventually handed over the money.

The security agencies have continued efforts to identify and apprehend those allegedly involved in the abduction.

The arraignment is a new stage in the case, while the reported escape of three suspects means the manhunt is continuing.