The State Security Services has told a Federal High Court in Abuja how it tracked and arrested a man accused of sending death threats to students and teachers in some elite schools in the capital.
An operative of the SSS, Michael Jego, testified as the first prosecution witness in the trial of John Jude Agbo, who is facing charges linked to terrorism and cybercrime.
According to Jego, the agency received separate petitions from three Abuja-based schools in 2024, reporting threatening text messages from multiple phone numbers.
The messages allegedly warned of imminent attacks on students, staff and school property.
He said investigators deployed digital tracking tools which led them to Otukpo in Benue State, where the suspect was arrested.
A Tecno Android phone and SIM card were recovered at the point of arrest.
The witness further told the court that the suspect was brought to Abuja, where he gave a statement in the presence of a lawyer from the Legal Aid Council.
The prosecution tendered several items as evidence, including the mobile phone, petitions from the affected schools, and a compact disc containing video recordings of the suspect’s interview.
The defence did not oppose their admission.
Under cross-examination, Jego admitted that the petitions did not initially identify the defendant by name, and that the phone numbers were provided by the schools. However, he maintained that the suspect confessed to participating in the composition of the threatening messages.
The defendant, while acknowledging familiarity with the phone, denied ownership.
The trial judge Justice Joyce Abdulmalik however adjourned the case to 12th May for continuation of trial, as the prosecution prepares to call additional witnesses.
(Editor: Roluke Ogundele)
