A Department of State Services (DSS) investigator has told a Federal High Court in Abuja how intelligence gathering and a series of arrests led to the capture of four suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) accused of abducting and killing the agency’s operative, Ekpenyong Owoh.

Testifying as the prosecution’s first witness, identified only as AAA for security reasons, the investigator alleged that Owoh was abducted while travelling from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to Awka, Anambra State, taken to an Eastern Security Network (ESN) camp, shot several times and buried in a shallow grave.

The four defendants are Michael Okafor, popularly known as Onyechimeleze; Chinedu Chukwudozie, alias Kante; Chibunna Olisa; and Chigozie Olisa, also known as Ability.

They are facing a six-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, alleged membership of a proscribed organisation and unlawful possession of firearms, including an AK-47 rifle and a pump-action gun.

The defendants, who were arraigned before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on September 28, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Munirat Oladunjoye, the DSS operative said he had served in the agency for approximately 17 years.

He told the court that the investigation commenced in February 2022 after Owoh’s wife reported his disappearance to the DSS Anambra Command.

According to the witness, preliminary investigations and technical analysis of the operative’s movements indicated that he was last seen alive in Orsumoghu, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.

His Toyota Pontiac vehicle was also reportedly traced to the community.

The investigator said the DSS subsequently partnered with the military to investigate the disappearance because the area was suspected to be an operational stronghold of IPOB and its armed wing, ESN.

He disclosed that the breakthrough came on June 20, 2026, when operatives arrested a woman identified as Chinyere Okabue. Information obtained during the investigation reportedly helped security agents identify and track down the four defendants.

Okafor, whom the prosecution described as the principal suspect and an ESN sub-commander, was arrested on September 14, 2026, while the remaining three defendants were apprehended on September 20.

Giving an account of the alleged killing, the witness said Owoh had contacted his wife on February 23, 2022, informing her that he was returning home to see their newborn baby.

He alleged that the defendants intercepted the operative, seized him and transported him to their camp.

The investigator further claimed that Chibunna Olisa drove Owoh’s vehicle into the camp, where the victim was held until an ESN sub-commander known as Double Lion allegedly ordered Okafor to execute him.

“He was shot several times and buried in a shallow grave,” the witness told the court.

In another revelation, AAA alleged that the four defendants had the identification number 1414 marked on their bodies as members of the ESN, claiming that the inscription was given to them as a form of protection.

Following the testimony, Justice Abdulmalik directed the defendants to approach the court and remove their clothes individually to allow the prosecution witness and defence counsel to inspect the alleged markings.

The witness and defence lawyers, K.C. Ekwe and G.U. Oputa, reportedly confirmed the presence of the marks.

The investigator also alleged that following Owoh’s death, Okafor took possession of the victim’s Toyota Pontiac and began using it as his personal vehicle.

He further claimed that the principal suspect handed Owoh’s mobile phone to his girlfriend, Chinyere, as a gift.

The woman was subsequently granted administrative bail after investigators reportedly established that she had no knowledge of the alleged abduction and murder.

The witness also narrated how Okafor allegedly travelled to Côte d’Ivoire and later India, where he was reportedly involved in criminal activities before being deported around 2024.

Upon his return to Nigeria, he allegedly went underground and worked as a bricklayer in Azia, Ihiala Local Government Area, until intelligence-led operations resulted in his arrest.

On the defendants’ statements, the DSS investigator told the court that all four suspects voluntarily made statements in the presence of a lawyer from the Legal Aid Council.

He maintained that they were informed of their constitutional rights, including the option to remain silent and the warning that their statements could be used as evidence against them.

According to him, the statements were obtained in a relaxed, air-conditioned environment without coercion.

The court subsequently admitted the statements as evidence and marked them Exhibit TWT-5 Series after the defence counsel reportedly raised no objections.

Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the proceedings until November 16 for the cross-examination of the prosecution witness and continuation of the trial-within-trial.

The judge also cautioned the defence lawyers that failure to appear on the next adjourned date could result in the forfeiture of their right to cross-examine the witness.