A State High Court in Owerri, Imo State, has urged lawyers handling cases involving five suspected kidnappers accused of abducting prospective National Youth Service Corps members and two others, to cooperate with the court to ensure the proceedings are concluded before January 2027.
The presiding judge, Justice Emeka Orafu, made the appeal on Thursday, October 22, during hearings involving the suspects.
A Department of State Services (DSS) investigative officer, Ikem Emmanuel, testified on the investigation that led to the arrest of the three defendants in the NYSC-related case.
Emmanuel told the court that investigators relied on intelligence gathering, phone data analysis, record checks, interviews and statements obtained from the defendants, victims and witnesses.
He said an identification parade was conducted, during which victims and witnesses identified the defendants as alleged members of the criminal gang.
The officer also testified that one of the defendants, Usman Aliyu, admitted in his statement to participating in the operation and allegedly revealed that 11 people were involved.
Emmanuel maintained that the defendants made their statements in the presence of their lawyers and DSS legal officers.
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In the separate case involving two other defendants, the DSS officer also gave evidence about the investigation, stating that their statements were obtained in the presence of their legal representatives and DSS legal officers.
After the proceedings, Justice Orafu adjourned the cases to October 27, 28, 29 and 30 for continuation of the hearings.
He reiterated his appeal for cooperation among counsel to facilitate the speedy conclusion of the trials and deliver judgments before January 2027.
The five defendants will remain in DSS custody as the cases continue.
On October 1, 2026, gunmen abducted 20 prospective corps members near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area while they were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to their assigned NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The victims and a civilian were rescued from Amakohia-Ubi forest in Owerri West Local Government Area six days later.
The DSS subsequently arrested five suspects in intelligence-led operations carried out between October 10 and 14 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Aba, Abia State.