Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested a sixth suspect linked to the deadly 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, in which no fewer than 40 worshippers were killed and several others wounded.
The suspect, identified as Sani Yusuf, evaded capture for nearly four years after the massacre before being tracked down and apprehended in the Iguosa community, along Powerline in Ovia North Local Government Area of Edo State.
Investigators described Yusuf as a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), adding that he had confessed to actively participating in the planning and execution of the church massacre, as well as several other terror operations.
The DSS is already prosecuting five suspects, Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar, over alleged acts of terrorism in connection with the same incident.
Security sources disclosed that after the Owo attack, Yusuf moved through Kano State before settling in the Edo community, where he lived undetected for years, making him one of the country’s most wanted fugitives.
Beyond the Owo massacre, the suspect allegedly confessed to involvement in several other high-profile terror operations, including the July 2022 attack on a military barracks in Suleja, kidnappings in Kaduna State, and a deadly assault at the Zuma Rock checkpoint which claimed the lives of five soldiers.
Yusuf also reportedly revealed that he operated under the command of senior ISWAP figures, including Abu Ikirimah, who was separately arrested by the DSS in 2024.
Security officials described the latest arrest as a major breakthrough in ongoing efforts to deliver justice to victims of the Owo attack and other terror incidents across the country, stressing that it underscores the sustained effectiveness of intelligence operations targeting militant networks.
