By Dennis Okechukwu
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested a sixth suspect allegedly involved in the 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, where more than 40 worshippers were killed and several others injured.
The suspect, identified as Sani Yusuf, was apprehended in Iguosa community along Powerline in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State after reportedly evading arrest for nearly four years.
The DSS is currently prosecuting five other suspects — Idris Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25), and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47) — over alleged acts of terrorism linked to the church attack.
Security sources disclosed that Yusuf, described as a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), had initially fled to Kano following the Owo incident before relocating to the Edo community, where he allegedly lived undetected for years.
According to the sources, Yusuf has confessed to participating in the planning and execution of the Owo church attack. He also reportedly admitted involvement in other operations attributed to ISWAP, including the July 2022 attack on a military barracks in Suleja and several kidnapping operations in Kaduna State and surrounding areas.
The suspect was also said to have acknowledged involvement in the Zuma Rock checkpoint assault in Suleja, which resulted in the deaths of five soldiers.
Sources further revealed that Yusuf claimed to have operated under other 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 bring those responsible for the Owo church attack and other terrorist incidents to justice, reaffirming the agency’s commitment to combating terrorism across the country.