…as Court adjourns hearing to November 3,4,5,6
By Our Correspondent
The trial of five suspected kidnappers arrested by the Department of State Services, DSS, over the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, members in Imo State took a dramatic turn on Friday, as the driver of the attacked bus positively identified the suspects in court.
The driver, who testified as the third prosecution witness before the Imo State High Court sitting in Mgbidi, told the court that the five defendants were among the gang that attacked his vehicle and abducted the 20 prospective corps members on Independence Day along the Owerri-Mgbidi-Onitsha expressway.
According to proceedings, the driver gave a detailed account of how the incident happened. He told the court that he could clearly recognise the first defendant as the person who first approached his vehicle while armed with an AK-47 rifle during the attack.
He further stated that the same defendant was the one he saw leading the 20 prospective NYSC members into a nearby bush after they were taken hostage. The driver said his identification was based on his direct and close encounter with the attackers during the incident.
In a corroborating testimony, another prosecution witness, Mr Light Timothy, also told the court that he sighted two of the defendants wielding AK-47 rifles shortly after the abduction along the same highway.
Timothy said he saw the first and second defendants after the bus was attacked and subsequently identified both men as part of the gang that carried out the kidnapping. He told the court that he identified them during an identification parade conducted at the DSS state office.
Both witnesses maintained during their evidence-in-chief and under cross-examination that they saw the defendants allegedly commit offences bordering on conspiracy, hostage-taking and unlawful possession of firearms.
During cross-examination, defence counsel requested the identity card of the bus driver in a bid to establish his identity and credibility.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Emeka Orafu, reportedly confirmed that the colour photograph on the identity card presented by the driver bore a strong resemblance to him, thereby validating his identity before the court.
Consequently, the testimonies of both witnesses, alongside the driver’s identity card, were admitted in evidence by the court.
The five defendants are standing trial over their alleged involvement in the abduction of the 20 prospective NYSC members, an incident that sparked national outrage on October 1, when the victims were on their way to their orientation camp.
At the conclusion of proceedings on Friday, Justice Orafu adjourned the matter to November 3, 4, 5 and 6, 2026, for continuation of hearing.
The court is expected to continue taking evidence from both the prosecution and defence teams as the trial progresses.
The DSS had earlier announced the arrest of the five suspects after weeks of intelligence-led operations, assuring that all those involved in the kidnap would be brought to justice.