The Department of State Services, DSS has arraigned four suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) over their alleged involvement in the abduction and killing of its operative, Ekpeyong Asuquo Owoh.
The defendants were arraigned on Monday before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on a six-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping and other related offences.
Those arraigned are Michael Okafor, aka Onyechimeleze; Chinedu Joseph Chukwudozie, alias Kante; Chibunna Olisa; and Chigozie Olisa, aka Ability.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants conspired to commit acts of terrorism and participated in the abduction of Owoh while he was travelling from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to Awka, Anambra State.
According to the prosecution, the DSS operative was taken hostage and subsequently killed during the alleged operation.
The defendants were also accused of being members of IPOB and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), which the government has designated as a proscribed organisation.
The prosecution further alleged that the defendants were involved in activities linked to terrorism and unlawfully possessed firearms, including AK-47 and pump-action rifles, in connection with the alleged offences.
The charges followed investigations into the circumstances surrounding the abduction and killing of the DSS operative and the alleged activities of the defendants.
When the charges were read to them on Monday, the four defendants pleaded not guilty to all the counts.
Following their pleas, DSS counsel, Munirat Oladunjoye, asked the court to fix a date for the commencement of trial.
Oladunjoye told the court that the prosecution had three witnesses who would testify during the trial.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik subsequently fixed October 6, 2026, for the commencement of trial and ordered that the four defendants be remanded in DSS custody pending further proceedings.
Kelvin Ekwe appeared in court as counsel to the defendants.
