Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested a man it describes as the mastermind of a recent attack targeting the 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in Benin City, Edo State.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, was in Benin on 24 February alongside former Edo State governor Chief John Oyegun and other figures linked to the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) when armed men opened fire at a political meeting with no casualties reported.
Security sources say the arrest followed online posts in which a suspect claimed responsibility for the incident and issued further threats directed at Obi.
The messages, published shortly after the attack on an X account, prompted an investigation by the Department of State Services.
According to a senior security official, operatives carried out covert inquiries and digital forensic analysis to identify and locate the suspect who was later taken into custody.
READ ALSO: INEC Vows ‘Best Possible’ Election in 2027, but Rules Out Perfection
The official disclosed the suspect is Udeme Monday Stephen, 26, a teacher at a private secondary school in Eliozu, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State.
Also, investigators allege that forensic findings linked him to the threats and to planning the Benin attack.
“The agency moved swiftly once the threats were issued. Operatives were deployed, the suspect was tracked and he is now in custody. He will be charged to court,” the source said.
The DSS added that it acts on credible intelligence regardless of background and remains responsible for counter-espionage and the protection of key individuals.
No official comment has been issued by Obi or the affected political parties as investigations continue.
0 Comments