The Department of State Services (DSS) has captured the sixth suspect connected to the 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, an attack that left over 40 worshippers dead and dozens injured.
The agency is already prosecuting five others - Idris Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25), and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47) - for their alleged roles in the terrorist incident.
According to security sources, the newly arrested suspect, Sani Yusuf, had successfully evaded arrest for nearly four years, earning a place on Nigeria’s most-wanted list. He was apprehended in Iguosa community, along Powerline in Ovia North Local Government Area of Edo State.
Yusuf, a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), initially fled to Kano after the Owo attack before relocating to Edo. DSS sources say he has confessed to planning and executing the church massacre.
Beyond Owo, Yusuf admitted participation in other ISWAP operations, including the July 2022 Suleja military barracks attack, kidnappings in Kaduna State, and the deadly Zuma Rock checkpoint assault that claimed five soldiers’ lives.
"He confirmed serving under ISWAP leaders such as Abu Ikirimah, arrested by DSS in 2024," a source noted.
DSS officials hailed the arrest as a major breakthrough in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and a significant step toward delivering justice for victims of the Owo church attack and other violent incidents.
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