SUSPECTS ARRAIGNED OVER 2023 AMBUSH THAT KILLED FOUR SOLDIERS IN DELTA

The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested and arraigned two suspects in connection with the 2023 murder of four Nigerian soldiers during a communal crisis in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State.

The suspects, identified as Ufuoma Sunday James and Lawrence Umuakpero Oboguayivwgue, were taken into custody following intelligence-led operations by the DSS and have been charged before a Delta State High Court sitting in Kwale.

Security sources said the duo is accused of leading an attack on military personnel deployed on a peacekeeping mission to Ashaka Aboh in February 2023. The ambush resulted in the killing of four soldiers, while their service weapons were reportedly carted away by the assailants.

The suspects are also linked to the killing of Chief Okwudili Obi, popularly known as Odumodu, a self-styled traditional ruler of Asemoku community, who was beheaded during the same period of communal unrest.

According to sources familiar with the investigation, DSS operatives tracked the suspects for over a year before acting on fresh intelligence that led to their arrest in January 2026. During interrogation, the suspects allegedly confessed to their involvement in the killings and admitted participation in other criminal activities, including gun-running and kidnapping.

“They were arrested based on credible intelligence and have made useful confessions,” a security source disclosed.

The suspects were subsequently arraigned and remanded in a correctional facility pending the commencement of trial, following an order of the court.

Security officials described the arrests as a significant breakthrough in the DSS’s efforts to resolve long-standing violent crime cases, stressing that the agency remains committed to ensuring accountability for attacks on security personnel and civilians alike.