A Federal High Court in Abuja heard on Friday how the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested John Jude Agbo over alleged threatening text messages sent to three elite schools in the Federal Capital Territory. DSS operative Michael Jego, testifying as the first prosecution witness, said the agency received petitions from Premier International School, The Regent Secondary School and Oakland International British School in 2024, all reporting threatening SMS from multiple phone numbers. Jego stated that the messages threatened to kill students and teachers and destroy school property, with claims that attacks could be executed in under a minute. He said the DSS traced the messages and arrested Agbo in Otukpo, Benue State, recovering a Techno android phone and a SIM card. Agbo, 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, was interviewed in Abuja with a Legal Aid Council of Nigeria lawyer present. The prosecution tendered the phone, school petitions, a compact disc of interview footage, and Agbo's written statement, all admitted by the court. Agbo denied owning the phone but acknowledged being part of the group that composed the messages. The court adjourned to May 12 for further prosecution proceedings.
John Jude Agbo admitted involvement in composing threatening messages yet denied owning the phone used to send them, creating a gap in the prosecution's chain of attribution. The schools named—Premier International, The Regent Secondary, and Oakland International British School—now face uncertainty over whether the threat was isolated or part of a broader pattern tied to known individuals. Agbo's partial admission and possession of the device do not clarify who else may have been involved or how widely the messages were coordinated. The trial's outcome may hinge on digital evidence linking him directly to the sending of the threats, not just their composition.
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