{
  "id": 17260488,
  "title": "Corps members’ Kidnap: Driver, Another Witness Identify Suspects Arrested By DSS",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/corps-members-kidnap-driver-another-witness-identify-suspects",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-30T16:40:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Trust",
    "slug": "daily-trust",
    "url": "https://dailytrust.com/corps-members-kidnap-driver-another-witness-identify-suspects-arrested-by-dss/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The driver of the bus carrying 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who were kidnapped in Imo State on Independence Day has testified that the five arrested suspects were the perpetrators who attacked his bus and abducted the individuals. Another prosecution witness, Mr. Light Timothy, also identified two of the five suspects as the ones seen with AK-47 rifles after the abduction along the Owerri–Mgbidi–Onitsha expressway. Both witnesses gave testimony at the resumed trial of the five accused kidnappers at the High Court in Imo State. The driver, the third witness, claimed he could clearly identify the first defendant as the one who approached the bus clutching an AK-47 rifle and led the 20 prospective NYSC members into the nearby bush after taking them hostage. Mr. Timothy also identified both men as the attackers during the identification parade conducted at the DSS state office. The identity card of the bus driver was admitted as evidence during cross-examination, and the judge confirmed that it resembled the driver. The trial judge, Justice Emeka Orafu, adjourned the trial of both sets of suspects to November 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th, 2026 for the continuation of the hearing.",
  "summary": "The driver of the bus conveying the 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) kidnapped in Imo State on Independence Day, has told the state High Court that the five suspects arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) were the same persons who attacked his bus and abducted the persons on […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}