The suspects.

By Chidi Nkwopara

A commercial motorcycle rider (okadama) has told the court that he was unaware that his passengers, two of the suspected October 1 kidnappers of prospective members of the National Youths Service Corps, NYSC, had AK-47 rifles in a bag.

The Department of State Services, DSS, on Friday, called two witnesses in the ongoing suit, HOU/22C/2026, filed against Usman Aliyu, Mohamed Aliyu and Babangida Ali, over the kidnap of 20 prospective NYSC members. The graduates were travelling to their orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

Led in evidence by the Principal State Counsel, Mr. Ekezie Nwauzor, the second prosecution witness, PW2, a commercial motorcyclist, Mr. Light Timothy, gave a graphic account of how the first and second accused persons hired him to take them to where their colleagues were staying.

According to PW2, his two passengers were carrying a bag, which he never knew the content until they reached their lonely destination, where AK-47 rifles were brought out from it.

He recalled that when his passenger put a call to someone, his intonation sounded Hausa or Fulani and the fellow urged him to ply the Umuguma-Okuku Road in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State.

PW2 also told the court that at a point, fear gripped him and he wanted to go back but not long after, four men jumped out of the bush, collected the bag, opened it and brought out the AK-47 rifles.

Timothy also told the court that he would have been killed for wasting time on the road, if not that one of them pleaded on his behalf and he sped off from that point.

In his own evidence, the third prosecution witness, PW3, and Akwa Ibom Transport Company driver, Mr. Sunday Udoh, confirmed that he and another driver, Jeremiah, were carrying NYSC members from Ibadan, to their orientation camps.

They had a stopover at Onitsha and left 5.30am on October 1, 2026, adding that heading towards Owerri and not long after passing a checkpoint, he noticed two stationary mini buses.

He told the court that on sensing looming danger and he quickly tried to reverse but his vehicle hit something behind and they were stuck.

According to Udoh, he switched off his vehicle, ran to the other side of the highway, hid in the nearby bush and watched events from there.

Udoh, after identifying Usman Aliyu as one of the attackers, also said that the kidnappers took away five of his passengers and 15 from Jeremiah’s bus, into the bush.

After thorough cross-examination of the two witnesses by the defence counsel, Paschal Ofoma, Justice Emeka Orafu adjourned the matter for further hearing to November 3, 2026.

Vanguard News

NYSC Kidnap: 'I did not know my passengers had AK-47 in bag' - Motorcycle rider tells court

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