Suspects Admit Confessions, Beg Court for Forgiveness Over NYSC Members’ Kidnap

Two men standing trial over the abduction of 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Imo State have admitted making confessional statements to the Department of State Services (DSS), while pleading with the court to forgive them.

The defendants, Usman Aliyu and Babangida Aliyu, who are the first and second accused persons respectively, made the admissions on Thursday during the continuation of their trial before the Imo State High Court.

Recall that the DSS had arraigned both suspects and others for the kidnapping.

The two defendants, while opening their defence and testifying under cross-examination, confirmed that they voluntarily made the written and audio-visual statements tendered by the DSS before the court.

They also admitted that they thumb-printed their written statements in the presence of their legal counsel.

The confessional materials were subsequently tendered by the DSS and admitted in evidence by the court.

Earlier, while giving their evidence-in-chief, the defendants appealed to the court for forgiveness and urged it to set them free in the case involving charges of conspiracy, hostage-taking and unlawful possession of firearms.

In a related development, the trial of two other defendants accused of conspiracy, kidnapping and unlawful possession of firearms continued, with a prosecution witness identifying them as the persons who allegedly abducted him for ransom on October 4, 2026, in the state.

The witness identified both defendants during proceedings, further advancing the prosecution’s case against them.

At the conclusion of Thursday’s proceedings, the trial judge, Justice Emeka Orafu, adjourned both cases until November 6 for continuation.

The abduction of the 20 prospective corps members had sparked concerns over the safety of young Nigerians travelling for national service, particularly those heading to orientation camps across the country.