Nearly four years after the deadly attack on St. Francis Catholic Church that plunged Nigeria into mourning, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested an alleged sixth member of the terror cell linked to the massacre.
The suspect, identified as Sani Yusuf, was reportedly tracked and captured in Edo State following years of intelligence-led surveillance and a sustained manhunt by security agencies.
Security sources described Yusuf as a high-profile commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), who allegedly evaded arrest after the June 2022 Owo church attack by relocating across several states. He was said to have briefly taken refuge in Kano State before settling in a rural community in Edo State, where he lived quietly for years.
According to the sources, his arrest followed prolonged covert operations aimed at dismantling the network responsible for the church invasion, which drew nationwide and international condemnation.
It is on record that the DSS is currently prosecuting five suspects — Idris Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25), and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47) — over alleged acts of terrorism connected to the attack.
Further disclosures indicated that Yusuf has confessed to participating in the planning and execution of the Owo church massacre. He is also said to have admitted involvement in other ISWAP-linked operations, including the July 2022 attack on the Suleja Military Barracks, as well as kidnappings in Kaduna State and surrounding areas.
“He admitted his role in the Owo church attack, the Zuma Rock checkpoint assault that claimed the lives of five soldiers, and several ISWAP kidnapping operations,” a security source disclosed.
The arrest is seen as a significant breakthrough in ongoing efforts to bring all those responsible for the Owo massacre to justice and further weaken terrorist networks operating within the country.
