DSS arrests sixth suspect in Owo Church attack

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested a sixth suspect linked to the 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo in Ondo State, where more than 40 worshippers were killed and several others injured.

The agency is already prosecuting five suspects — Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar — over alleged acts of terrorism connected to the incident.

Security sources said the newly arrested suspect, identified as Sani Yusuf, had evaded capture for nearly four years, making him one of the country’s most wanted fugitives.

He was eventually tracked and apprehended in Iguosa community along Powerline in Ovia North Local Government Area of Edo State.

Investigators described Yusuf as a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

After the Owo attack, he reportedly moved through Kano before settling in the Edo community where he lived undetected.

According to sources, Yusuf has confessed to participating in the planning and execution of the church massacre, as well as other ISWAP operations.

These include the July 2022 attack on a military barracks in Suleja, kidnappings in Kaduna State, and an assault at the Zuma Rock checkpoint that resulted in the deaths of five soldiers.

He also allegedly revealed that he operated under senior ISWAP figures, including Abu Ikirimah, who was arrested by the DSS in 2024.

Security officials described the arrest as a major breakthrough in ongoing efforts to secure justice for victims of the Owo attack and other terror incidents, noting that it highlights continued intelligence operations targeting militant networks across the country.