How forensics led DSS to man behind Abuja school death threats

A Department of State Services operative told a Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday how his agency traced and arrested a man who sent threatening text messages to three elite schools in the capital, warning that students and teachers would be killed.

The operative, Michael Jego, testified as the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of John Jude Agbo, who was arraigned on March 17 on a two-count charge under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 and the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act 2024.

Jego told the court that the DSS received petitions from three Abuja schools in 2024 — Premier International School, The Regent Secondary School, and Oakland International British School — reporting threatening text messages from certain phone numbers, with the sender warning of plans to kill students and teachers and destroy property.

He said his team was specifically directed to investigate a petition received from Oakland International School on November 28, 2024.

Using forensic tools, operatives traced the suspect to Otukpo in Benue State, where he was arrested and a Tecno Android phone and SIM card recovered from him.

Agbo was subsequently brought to Abuja, where he was interviewed and volunteered a statement in the presence of a lawyer from the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, Jego said.

The prosecution tendered the recovered phone, petitions from the schools, a compact disc containing audio-visual recordings of the defendant’s interview and statement-making sessions, and a copy of his extra-judicial statement.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik admitted all items in evidence without objection from defence counsel Hamza Dantani.

Under cross-examination, Jego acknowledged that the petitions did not bear the defendant’s name and that the phone numbers used to send the messages were provided by the schools themselves.

He also conceded he could not independently confirm that the numbers belonged to Agbo.

However, Jego maintained that Agbo admitted being part of those who composed the threatening messages and was arrested in possession of the mobile phone linked to the communications.

The defendant, while confirming familiarity with the Tecno phone, denied being its owner.

The DSS said Agbo used four GSM numbers — 08124412783, 08069781274, 08105715028, and 09139681108 — to send the messages, in which he threatened to attack the schools, warning that it would not take his group up to a minute to carry out the attacks.

Prosecution counsel Dr. Calistus Eze sought an adjournment to present additional witnesses and exhibits.

Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case to May 12 for continuation of trial.