A witness for the Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday recounted before the Federal High Court in Abuja how security operatives tracked and arrested four suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) accused of abducting and killing a DSS officer, Ekpenyong Owoh.
Testifying as the first prosecution witness (PW-1) before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, the operative—codenamed “AAA” for security reasons—disclosed that he has served with the secret police for approximately 17 years.
The four defendants—Michael Okafor (alias Onyechimeleze), Chinedu Chukwudozie (alias Kante), Chibunna Olisa, and Chigozie Olisa (alias Ability)—were arraigned on September 28 on a six-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, and unlawful possession of firearms, including an AK-47 rifle and a pump-action gun. They pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel Munirat Oladunjoye, PW-1 told the court that the investigation began in February 2022 after Owoh’s wife reported at the agency’s Anambra State Command that her husband had gone missing while travelling from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to Awka, Anambra State.
According to the witness, the slain officer had called his wife on February 23, 2022, informing her that he was returning home to see his newborn baby before he was intercepted by the suspects.
“We sprung into action and did a technical analysis. The officer’s movement indicated he was last seen alive in Osomogu, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State,” the witness testified, adding that Owoh’s Toyota Pontiac car was also traced to the same town.
Because Osomogu was a known stronghold of IPOB and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the DSS collaborated with the military to mount an operation that led to the arrest of one Chinyere Okabue on June 20, 2026.
PW-1 explained that Okabue’s arrest provided the breakthrough that led operatives to Okafor, who was apprehended on September 14, followed by the remaining three defendants on September 20.
Narrating how the slain operative was killed, the witness alleged that Okafor, an ESN sub-commander, and his co-defendants abducted Owoh and took him to their camp, with Chibunna Olisa driving the officer’s vehicle into the hideout. Owoh was allegedly held captive until another sub-commander, identified as “Double Lion,” issued a directive for his execution.
The witness further informed the court that all four defendants bore distinctive ESN markings on their bodies. Following the testimony, Justice Abdulmalik ordered the defendants in the dock to step forward and display their bodies, where both the witness and defence counsel, K.C. Ekwe and G.U. Oputa, confirmed the presence of the marks.
PW-1 added that after Owoh’s murder, Okafor converted the deceased officer’s Toyota Pontiac for personal use and handed Owoh’s mobile phone to his girlfriend, Chinyere.
“When we found out that the lady did not know anything about our personnel’s abduction, we granted her administrative bail,” he stated.
The witness also revealed that Okafor had fled the country to Côte d’Ivoire and later India, from where he was deported around 2024 over alleged criminal activities. Upon returning to Nigeria, he reportedly worked as a bricklayer in Azia, Ihiala LGA, before being captured in an intelligence-driven operation.
