A Department of State Services (DSS) investigator has told a Federal High Court in Abuja how four suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) allegedly abducted and murdered the agency’s operative, Ekpenyong Owoh, in February 2022.
The investigator, identified by the code name AAA for security reasons, gave the account on Wednesday while testifying as the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of four defendants before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
The defendants are Michael Okafor, also 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 and kidnapping, to which they have pleaded not guilty.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Munirat Oladunjoye, the witness said he had worked with the DSS for about 17 years and investigated Owoh’s disappearance with his team.
He told the court that the investigation began after Owoh’s wife reported that her husband had gone missing while travelling from Port Harcourt to Awka, Anambra State.
“Sometime in February 2022, the wife of our personnel made a complaint to us in Anambra Command that her husband, who was travelling enroute from Port Harcourt to Awka in Anambra State, was missing.
“We sprung into action and we found that he made his last call in Osomogu, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State,” he said.
The witness added that Owoh’s Toyota Pontiac vehicle was also traced to the same local government area.
He said the DSS subsequently worked with the military to conduct surveillance in the area, which he described as a stronghold of IPOB and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
According to him, the investigation gained momentum in 2026 after the agency discovered that someone was using Owoh’s phone number.
The DSS tracked the phone’s International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) and arrested a 36-year-old mother of two, Chinyere Okabe, on June 20, 2026.
The witness said the investigation led to the arrest of Okafor and the other defendants. Okafor was arrested on September 14, while the remaining three were arrested on September 20.
Recounting the circumstances surrounding Owoh’s abduction, AAA told the court that the operative had called his wife on February 23, 2022, to inform her that he would be coming home to see their newborn baby.
He said the suspects intercepted Owoh after noticing a pistol holster on him, which raised suspicions that he was a security operative.
The witness identified Okafor as a sub-commander of the ESN under an individual known as Innocent Obieke, popularly called Double Lion.
“Michael Okafor is a sub-commander under Innocent Obieke popularly called Double Lion,” he said.
According to the witness, the suspects took Owoh to their camp after abducting him, where Double Lion allegedly directed that he be killed.
“They called Double Lion who directed them to bring him to their camp,” he said.
He further alleged that Chibunna Olisa drove Owoh’s vehicle to the camp, where the operative was held until the order for his execution was given.
“And he was shot several times and burried in a shallow grave,” the witness told the court.
AAA also alleged that the four defendants had distinctive ESN marks on their chests, which he said were given to members as a form of protection.
“They all have ESN Mark which is 14, 14 mark on their bodies.
“The mark is located in their chest area,” he said.
Justice Abdulmalik subsequently directed the defendants to come forward and remove their clothes one after another to verify the allegation. The witness and defence lawyers confirmed the presence of the marks.
The investigator further alleged that Okafor converted Owoh’s vehicle for personal use after the killing and gave the operative’s phone to his girlfriend, Chinyere Okabe, as a gift.
He said Okabe was later granted administrative bail after investigators established that she had no knowledge of the abduction.
The witness also told the court that Okafor travelled to Côte d’Ivoire and later India, where he was allegedly involved in criminal activities before being deported around 2024.
He said Okafor subsequently returned to Nigeria, kept a low profile and worked as a bricklayer in Azia, Ihiala Local Government Area, before his arrest.
When asked how Okafor was apprehended, AAA said: “Okafor was arrested on September 14, 2026, by our technical team through intelligence-driven operation.”
The witness maintained that all four defendants were involved in Owoh’s abduction and murder, adding that they voluntarily made statements during the investigation.
However, when the prosecution sought to tender the defendants’ confessional statements, defence lawyers objected, arguing that the statements were obtained under duress.
Counsel to the first and second defendants, K.C. Ekwe, and counsel to the third and fourth defendants, G.U. Oputa, challenged the voluntariness of the statements.
Justice Abdulmalik consequently ordered a trial-within-trial to determine whether the statements were made voluntarily.
During the separate proceedings, AAA maintained that the defendants were not tortured and that their statements were recorded in the presence of a lawyer from the Legal Aid Council.
He told the court that the suspects underwent medical examinations upon arrival at the DSS command and were asked whether they had lawyers of their own. After they answered in the negative, the agency contacted a Legal Aid Council lawyer to represent them.
The witness also said the confessional statements were accompanied by audio-visual recordings stored on a flash drive.
He added that Okafor admitted being an ESN member and a sub-commander, while also describing an encounter between ESN members and military personnel on the day Owoh was abducted.
The defendants’ statements were subsequently admitted in evidence after the defence lawyers did not object. The video recordings were also played in open court, showing the suspects being informed of their rights before making their statements.
The flash drive containing the recordings was admitted as Exhibit TWT-5 Series.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case until November 16 for the cross-examination of AAA and continuation of the trial-within-trial.
The judge warned that the defence lawyers risked losing their opportunity to cross-examine the witness if they failed to appear on the next adjourned date.
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