The State Safety Services and products (SSS), on Tuesday, arraigned 3 individuals allegedly related to the abduction of 20 potential contributors of the Nationwide Early life Provider Corps (NYSC) on 1 October in Imo State.
The SSS additionally arraigned two different individuals accused of kidnapping 4 further individuals within the state, 3 days after the NYSC contributors’ incident.
The 5 defendants have been arraigned on the Imo State Top Court docket, Oru Judicial Department, Mgbidi, at the fees of abduction, conspiracy, hostage-taking and illegal ownership of firearms.
On the other hand, 3 of them – Usman Aliyu, 25, often referred to as Chonge; Babangida Aliyu, 21; and Mohammed Ali, 23, differently referred to as Smallie Pepper- particularly face 3 counts of abduction and hostage taking, number of ransom of N48 million and bucks, in addition to unlawful ownership of firearms.
The 2 others have been particularly charged with conspiracy and hostage taking punishable beneath Phase six of the Imo State Prohibition of Hostage Taking and Similar Offences Regulation No. 4 of 2009.
The SSS prosecutors instructed the court docket that the trio and others nonetheless at huge kidnapped the NYSC contributors alongside the Owerri–Mgbidi–Onitsha Parkway on 1 October.
The prosecutors mentioned the NYSC contributors have been travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states once they have been kidnapped.
In keeping with a duplicate of the price sheet, which was once sighted by way of PREMIUM TIMES, the defendants have been accused of unlawfully possessing 3 AK-47 rifles, 4 magazines, a pistol and eighty-one rounds of are living ammunition.
The 3 defendants pleaded now not accountable to the three-count price of abduction and hostage taking, number of ransom of N48 million and bucks, in addition to unlawful ownership of firearms.
Two different defendants
In a comparable subject, two different defendants have been accused of abducting 4 folks round Owerri and Mgbidi on 4 October.
The defendants have been Aminu Haliru, 27, and Tange Ibrahim, 20, popularly referred to as Jijji.
The SSS prosecutors instructed the court docket that Messrs Haliru and Ibrahim and others nonetheless at huge allegedly accumulated N8 million to unlock the 4 sufferers.
They have been additionally charged with illegal ownership of 1 AK-47 rifle and a pump-action gun.
The prosecution mentioned N1.8 million was once recovered from defendants in the second one subject.
The name of the game police indexed an SSS investigator and the sufferers as witnesses in each issues.
No longer accountable plea and remand
The 5 defendants one after the other pleaded now not accountable when the costs have been learn to them, Forefront newspaper reported.
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Following their now not accountable plea, the state recommend, Ekezie Nwauzo, filed a movement for the defendants to be remanded in jail.
Ruling at the movement, the trial pass judgement on, Emeka Orafu, ordered that the defendants be remanded on the SSS facility.
The pass judgement on then adjourned the issues till 22, 27, 28, and 29 October for listening to.
Nnaemeka Adipuo stood in for the primary and 2nd defendants in terms of abduction of potential NYSC contributors whilst Paschal Ofoma represented the 3rd defendant.
Abduction and unlock
Recall that PREMIUM TIMES previous reported that the 20 potential NYSC contributors have been released on 7 October, precisely one week once they have been abducted on 1 October.
This newspaper additionally reported that the possible NYSC contributors have been launched following a joint operation performed by way of safety operatives, together with the SSS, army workforce and police operatives in Imo State.
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