DSS Apprehends, Arraigns Suspects Over 2023 Murder of Four Military Personnel

DSS

Linus Aleke in Abuja

Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested and arraigned two suspects in connection with the killing of four soldiers in Ashaka Aboh, Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State.

The suspects, Ufuoma Sunday James and Lawrence Umuakpero Oboguayivwgue, were also alleged to have been involved in the beheading of Chief Okwudili Obi, popularly known as Odumodu, the self-acclaimed traditional ruler of Asemoku Community, during a communal crisis in 2023.

The soldiers were reportedly killed in February 2023 while on a peacekeeping mission following violent clashes between the Kwale and Asemoku communities in Ndokwa East LGA.

During the operation, the military team was ambushed by hoodlums, allegedly led by James, leading to the death of the four personnel and the theft of their service weapons.

According to credible security sources, DSS, acting on actionable intelligence, apprehended the suspects in January 2026 after an investigation that lasted over a year.

The sources disclosed that the suspects had confessed to their involvement in the killings and admitted to participating in gun-running and other violent criminal activities.

“DSS operatives have been investigating the case for more than a year,” a source said. “In January this year, reliable intelligence was received, which culminated in the arrest of the suspects,” the source added.

The source further stated that the suspects had been arraigned before a state High Court in Kwale, where the presiding judge ordered their remand in a correctional facility pending the conclusion of trial.

Another security source described the arrests as a significant breakthrough in the DSS’s efforts to resolve long-standing criminal cases.

“This development demonstrates the DSS’s determination to pursue justice regardless of how much time has elapsed,” the source said. “It also highlights the effectiveness of coordinated intelligence operations and reassures communities that violent crimes, especially those targeting security personnel, will not go unpunished,” it said.