A Department of State Services, DSS, witness on Wednesday told the Federal High Court in Abuja how four suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB — accused of kidnapping and killing a DSS operative, Ekpenyong Owoh — were tracked down and arrested.
The witness, a DSS investigator who testified as the first prosecution witness (PW-1) before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, spoke under the codename “AAA” for security reasons. He said he has served with the service for about 17 years and investigated the case with his team. An earlier passage of his testimony identifies him as the investigator handling the matter.
The defendants — Michael Okafor (alias Onyechimeleze), Chinedu Chukwudozie (alias Kante), Chibunna Olisa and Chigozie Olisa (alias Ability) — were arraigned before Justice Abdulmalik on September 28 on a six-count charge bordering on terrorism and kidnapping. They all pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution alleges that the defendants conspired to commit acts of terrorism and abducted Owoh while he was travelling from Port Harcourt in Rivers State to Awka in Anambra State. They are also accused of holding the operative hostage, killing him, belonging to IPOB and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), and unlawfully possessing firearms, including an AK-47 rifle and a pump-action gun.
How the trail began
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel Munirat Oladunjoye, the witness said that sometime in February 2022 the wife of the operative reported to the DSS Anambra Command that her husband, travelling from Port Harcourt to Awka, had gone missing.
“We sprang into action and did a technical analysis of the officer’s movement, which indicated that he was last seen alive in Osomogu, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State,” he said. The late officer’s Toyota Pontiac, in which he was travelling, was also found in the town.
The witness said the area was a stronghold of IPOB and the ESN, prompting the DSS to liaise with the military. The operation led to the arrest of one Chinyere Okabue on June 20, 2026 — and, he said, Okabue’s arrest in turn led to the arrest of Okafor and the co-defendants. Okafor, described as the prime suspect, was arrested on September 14; the three others on September 20.
The night of the killing
Recounting the events of the day Owoh was killed, the witness said the officer had called his wife on February 23, 2022, to say he was coming home to see his newborn baby.
“When they intercepted Owoh, Okafor, who was a sub-commander of ESN, and his co-defendants seized him and took him into their camp,” he told the court. Chibunna Olisa, he said, drove Owoh’s vehicle into the camp, where the officer was held until one sub-commander known as “Double Lion” directed Okafor to kill him.
“He was shot several times and buried in a shallow grave,” the witness said. He added that the four defendants bore the ESN mark “1414” on their bodies, which he said members are given as a sign of protection.
Justice Abdulmalik then ordered the defendants in the dock to step forward and remove their clothing one after the other so the claim could be verified. The witness and defence lawyers K.C. Ekwe and G.U. Oputa confirmed the mark on their bodies.
The witness further alleged that after the killing, Okafor converted the Toyota Pontiac to his personal use and gave Owoh’s phone to his girlfriend, Chinyere, as a gift. “When we found out that the lady did not know anything about our personnel’s abduction, we granted her administrative bail,” he said.
He maintained that all four defendants were involved in the abduction, kidnap and killing of the operative.
Arrest after deportation
On how Okafor was tracked, the witness said the suspect travelled to Côte d’Ivoire and later to India, where he was involved in criminal activities and was deported around 2024. After his return, he said, Okafor lay low and worked as a bricklayer at Azia in Ihiala LGA.
“Okafor was arrested on September 14, 2026, through an intelligence-driven operation,” the witness said, adding that his co-defendants were arrested on September 20.
The PW-1 said the defendants voluntarily gave their statements, which were recorded in a relaxed, air-conditioned setting and in the presence of a lawyer from the Legal Aid Council. He said the interviewer informed them of their right to remain silent but warned that anything they said could be used against them in court; the defendants, he said, opted to make their statements.
Defence lawyers did not object, and the statements were admitted in evidence and marked as Exhibit TWT-5 Series.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter until November 16 for cross-examination of AAA in the trial-within-trial and for continuation of the trial-within-trial. She warned that if defence counsel failed to appear on the next date, their cross-examination would be foreclosed.
Ctediblenewsng.com
