DSS Arrests Teacher Over Peter Obi Assassination Threat

Benin City – Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested a 26-year-old school teacher from Rivers State for allegedly claiming responsibility and issuing fresh death threats against 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, following last week’s bloody attack in Benin City.

The suspect, identified as Udeme Monday Stephen, who teaches at Jessica High School in Eliozu, Umuehere Community, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, was picked up in a swift covert operation after he boasted on his X handle @stevetom788 that his men carried out the February 24 shooting and promised to finish the job in Rivers State.

Recall that Obi, former Edo State Governor Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and several top chieftains of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) escaped death by a whisker when armed hoodlums opened fire on them during a political meeting in Benin, the Edo State capital. No life was lost in the incident, which the Obidient Movement described as a premeditated assassination attempt.

Barely hours after the attack, Stephen took to his verified X account and posted: “We warned Obi against his entrance into Edo State, but he mistook our resolve for his Obi supporters online noise. Thank his stars he (Obi) survived this one…

“I learnt he’s going to my Rivers State… Na my men go handle that one and dem no dey miss target… Speak no peace to a bastard and wish him no long life, for he’s destined to die.”

A top security source who confirmed the arrest to NaijaChoice News disclosed that DSS swung into action immediately the incriminating posts surfaced.

“The agency deployed forensic analysis and tracked the suspect within hours. As a responsible security outfit charged with counter-espionage and VIP protection, DSS does not joke with credible intelligence, irrespective of tribe or religion,” the source stated.

The source added that Stephen is now in DSS custody and will be charged to court soon.

The arrest comes even as the Edo State Government has dismissed claims that the shooting was a state-sponsored assassination attempt, describing the allegation as “false and malicious.” Government spokesmen insisted the incident might have stemmed from internal ADC squabbles or ordinary hoodlums, not official involvement.

However, the DSS operation has been hailed by Obi’s supporters who see it as a strong signal that threats against opposition figures will not be tolerated.

Political observers note that Obi’s recent alignment with the ADC has heightened tensions ahead of future elections, with many warning that such attacks could signal a dangerous new trend in Nigeria’s political space.

NaijaChoice News gathered that investigations are ongoing to determine if Stephen acted alone or had accomplices in the Benin attack.

The 2023 presidential candidate is yet to issue a fresh comment on the arrest, but his team has maintained that security agencies must leave no stone unturned to unravel the full details of the February 24 incident.