An Imo State High Court, presided over by Justice Emeka Orafu, has commenced hearing in the case involving the kidnap of 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)

Three defendants — Usman Aliyu, alias Chonge; Babangida Aliyu; and Mohamed Ali, alias Smallie Pepper — are facing a three-count charge of conspiracy, hostage-taking and unlawful possession of firearms in suit number HOU/22C/2026.

The Imo State Director of Public Prosecution, Mr Martins Udolwu, led the prosecution team, while Nnaemeka S. C. Adipo and Paschal Ofoma appeared for the defendants.

Testifying before the court, the first prosecution witness, Ikechukwu Emmanuel, a staff member of the Department of State Services (DSS), said he investigated the incident.

Emmanuel told the court that on October 1, 2026, at about 6.30am, 20 prospective corps members travelling in two buses from Ibadan to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states were attacked by suspected kidnappers armed with AK-47 rifles.

“Twenty corps members from both buses were taken hostage and moved into the bush,” he said.

The witness said security agencies in Imo, including the DSS, immediately deployed human and technical resources to track the attackers and secure the victims’ release.

He told the court that the victims were released after the payment of the ransom demanded by the suspects, but investigations continued.

According to him, intelligence reports indicated that the suspected kidnappers had relocated to Rivers and Abia states, leading to the arrest of the three defendants between October 10 and 14, 2026.

Emmanuel also narrated how the DSS conducted an identification parade involving the three defendants and 10 other people.

He said the released victims and one of the bus drivers identified the defendants during the exercise.

The witness further told the court that Usman Aliyu, in a confessional statement, allegedly admitted that 11 people participated in the kidnapping operation.

After the proceedings, Justice Orafu adjourned the case until October 27, 28 and 29, 2026, for continuation of hearing.

The judge said he did not want the case to extend into the new year, directing the defence to be ready to cross-examine the witness immediately after the conclusion of his evidence-in-chief.

“The defence must be ready to cross-examine the witness immediately he is done with his evidence-in-chief,” the judge said.

Burkina Faso’s parliament has voted unanimously to reinstate the death penalty for crimes including terrorism, espionage and treason, ending the country’s abolition of capital punishment for ordinary crimes in 2018.

All 71 members of the West African country’s transitional legislature supported the revised penal code on Tuesday, October 20, following its presentation by Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala, according to the Associated Press.

The decision restores capital punishment nearly four decades after the country’s last known execution, which took place in 1988, according to Human Rights Watch.

The military-led government’s Council of Ministers approved a bill to restore the death penalty in December 2025, prompting criticism from international human rights organisations.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch warned that the move could threaten fundamental rights and be used to suppress critics of the authorities.

Burkina Faso’s military government has previously faced allegations of detaining journalists, human rights defenders and other perceived opponents. The authorities also dissolved political parties earlier in 2026 and repealed the laws governing their activities.

The reinstatement comes as the country continues to battle an armed insurgency involving militant groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. The violence has killed thousands of people and displaced millions across Burkina Faso and the wider Sahel region.

The government has presented the tougher penal code as part of its response to the security crisis. Bayala had indicated in 2024 that the death penalty would be included in a revised criminal code.

According to Reuters, the revised code also provides for capital punishment in cases involving the importation of expired or prohibited products that result in death, although the precise scope and implementation of the new provisions will depend on the final legal text.

Human rights organisations have questioned whether restoring the death penalty will improve security, warning that it could deepen repression and create additional risks for people accused of offences.

Human Rights Watch previously said the proposed change could intensify a climate of fear and send a chilling message to critics of the military authorities.

The country’s security forces have also faced allegations of serious abuses during counterinsurgency operations. Human Rights Watch reported this year that government forces killed more than twice as many civilians as jihadist fighters between 2023 and 2025.

Armed groups, including Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, an al-Qaida-linked organisation, have also been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by rights groups.

Burkina Faso, a landlocked country with a population of about 23 million, has been governed by military authorities since a coup in 2022. The junta has repeatedly delayed a return to civilian rule as it seeks to contain the insurgency.

The parliamentary vote marks a significant change in the country’s criminal justice policy. Burkina Faso abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes in 2018 under former President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, although the last known execution had taken place decades earlier.

The decision is likely to renew scrutiny of the country’s human rights record as authorities pursue their security campaign against armed groups.

(APNews)

A seven-year-old boy, Abdullahi Rabi’u, has been found dead hours after suspected kidnappers abducted him in the Majema area, along Ring Road in Jos North Local Council of Plateau State and demanded a N2.5million ransom.

The boy was reportedly abducted on Monday evening after being sent on an errand to a neighbour’s house.

Narrating the incident, his uncle, Sukairaj Danladi Me Gado, said Abdullahi delivered the message but failed to return home, prompting the family to search for him.

He said their efforts to locate the boy proved unsuccessful until Tuesday morning, when the family received a call from an unidentified number.

According to him, the caller demanded N2.5million as ransom and informed the family that the boy had been kidnapped.

Me Gado said the family had agreed to pay the ransom in the hope of securing the child’s release.

However, their hopes were shattered later on Tuesday when they learnt that his body had been found in a narrow passage near their residence.

The discovery plunged the family and residents of the neighbourhood into mourning.

The grieving uncle expressed sorrow over the killing and alleged that the perpetrators might be familiar with the neighbourhood.

He called on security agencies to investigate the incident, apprehend those responsible and ensure they were brought to justice.