DSS ARRESTS SIXTH SUSPECT IN 2022 OWO CHURCH ATTACK
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
Operatives of the Department of State Services have arrested the sixth suspect linked to the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, where over 40 worshippers were killed and scores injured during a Pentecost Sunday service.
Five other suspects, Idris Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25), and Momoh Abubakar (47), are currently standing trial in Abuja for alleged acts of terrorism.
A security source disclosed on Wednesday that the latest suspect, identified as Sani Yusuf, was arrested in Iguosa community along Powerline in Ovia North Local Government Area of Edo State after years of tracking by DSS operatives.
According to the source, Yusuf is described as a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province. He reportedly fled to Kano shortly after the Owo attack before relocating to the Edo community, where he was eventually apprehended.
The source further alleged that Yusuf confessed to involvement in the planning and execution of the Owo church massacre. He was also said to have participated in the July 2022 Suleja military barracks attack, the Zuma Rock checkpoint assault that claimed the lives of five soldiers, and multiple kidnapping operations in Kaduna State and surrounding areas.
Yusuf reportedly disclosed that he operated under other ISWAP commanders, including Abu Ikirimah, who was arrested by the DSS in 2024.
The Owo church attack remains one of the deadliest incidents in Southwest Nigeria. Gunmen detonated explosives and opened fire on worshippers, killing men, women, and children.
Security analysts say the suspect’s arrest in Edo State indicates efforts by security agencies to track and prevent the spread of insurgent cells into southern forests and peri-urban areas, amid concerns about expanding militant operations beyond their traditional strongholds in the Northeast.
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