DSS Nabs, Charges Suspects Over 2023 Killing of Four Soldiers in Delta
The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested and arraigned two suspects in connection with the 2023 killing of four soldiers in Ashaka Aboh, Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State.
Security sources disclosed that the suspects, identified as Ufuoma Sunday James and Lawrence Umuakpero Oboguayivwgue, were picked up in January 2026 following fresh intelligence breakthroughs. The duo is also allegedly linked to the gruesome killing of Chief Okwudili Obi, popularly known as Odumodu, a self-acclaimed traditional ruler of Asemoku Community, during the same period of communal unrest in the area.
The soldiers were reportedly deployed on a peacekeeping mission in February 2023 to quell violence between the Kwale and Asemoku communities when they were ambushed by suspected hoodlums. The attack resulted in the death of the four military personnel, while their service weapons were carted away.
According to credible security sources, DSS operatives had been quietly investigating the case for over a year before actionable intelligence led to the arrest of the suspects. Investigators said the suspects have since confessed to their roles in the attack and admitted involvement in gun-running, kidnapping and other violent crimes within the region.
“The investigation had been ongoing for a long time. In January this year, operatives received precise intelligence that led to the successful arrest of the suspects,” a source said.
The suspects have now been arraigned before a Delta State High Court sitting in Kwale, where the presiding judge ordered their remand in a correctional facility pending the conclusion of trial.
Security officials described the arrests as a significant milestone in the DSS’s efforts to resolve long-standing violent crime cases, noting that the development reinforces the agency’s resolve to ensure that perpetrators of attacks on security personnel and civilians are brought to justice, regardless of how much time has passed. Zagazola Makama
