Sixth suspect in 2022 Owo church massacre detained by DSS
The sixth suspect in the 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which left over 40 worshippers dead and numerous others injured, has been taken into custody by Department of State Services agents.
Five suspects were taken into custody by the service: Momoh Abubakar (47), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), and Idris Omeiza (25).
The defendants are presently on trial for allegedly committing terrorist attacks in Abuja.
The suspect, identified as Sani Yusuf, was apprehended in the Iguosa community along Powerline in the Ovia North Local Government Area of Edo State on Wednesday by DSS agents who had been pursuing him for years, according to a security source.
The source claims that Yusuf, a well-known commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province, had moved to Kano temporarily following the attack on the Owo church before settling in the Edo neighborhood.
“After years of working on Sani Yusuf, our operatives eventually arrested him at Iguosa community along Powerline in Ovia North Local Government Area of Edo State,” the source stated. Yusuf is a well-known Islamic State West Africa Province commander.
After the attack on the Owo church, he briefly entered Kano before choosing to move to the quiet area of Edo State. He has admitted to taking part in the preparation and carrying out of the massacre at the Owo church.
According to a different source, the suspect was also implicated in the kidnappings in Kaduna State and the surrounding areas in July 2022 and the attack on the Suleja military barracks.
He claimed to have participated in multiple ISWAP kidnapping operations as well as the Zuma Rock checkpoint assault, which resulted in the deaths of five soldiers.
According to the source, “Yusuf also disclosed that he served under other ISWAP top commanders like Abu Ikirimah, who was arrested by the DSS in 2024.”
Yusuf’s capture in Edo State implies that the DSS is monitoring their movement into peri-urban areas and southern forests in order to stop these cells from establishing new operational bases.
One of the deadliest events in Southwest Nigeria is still the June 5, 2022, attack on the Owo Church.
Gunmen set off explosives and started shooting at worshippers during a Pentecost Sunday service. Women and children were among the more than 40 fatalities.
Southwest Nigeria had previously been largely spared from the high-intensity insurgency that was prevalent in the Northeast. This attack sparked concerns that ISWAP and other terror cells were extending their operational area well beyond their customary strongholds.
