Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have apprehended a sixth suspect connected to the 2022 massacre at St. Francis Catholic Church, where more than 40 worshippers were killed and many others sustained injuries.
The agency is already prosecuting five individuals — Idris Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25), and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47) — over their alleged roles in acts of terrorism related to the attack.
The newly arrested suspect had reportedly eluded security forces for nearly four years, becoming one of the country’s most sought-after fugitives.
A security source revealed that DSS operatives, who had tracked him for years, eventually arrested the suspect, identified as Sani Yusuf, in the Iguosa community along Powerline in Ovia North Local Government Area of Edo State.
According to the source, Yusuf is described as a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). After the Owo church attack, he reportedly fled to Kano State before relocating to the quiet Edo community, where he remained in hiding.
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The source further disclosed that Yusuf has since confessed to being involved in the planning and execution of the Owo church massacre.
In addition, continued the source, he confessed to other terrorist attacks by ISWAP, including the July 2022 Suleja military barracks attack, and kidnappings in Kaduna State and environs.
“He admitted his role in the Owo church attack, the Zuma Rock checkpoint assault, which claimed the lives of five soldiers, and several ISWAP kidnap operations,” the source disclosed.
“Yusuf also disclosed that he served under other ISWAP top commanders like Abu Ikirimah, who was arrested by the DSS in 2024,” another source offered.
“This arrest marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of justice for the victims of the Owo church attack, the soldiers killed at Zuma Rock checkpoint in Suleja, and underscores the relentless campaign by the DSS in the fight against terrorism,” he declared.
