Operatives of the Department of State Services have arrested a sixth suspect linked to the 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, nearly four years after the incident that claimed over 40 lives.
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested the sixth person allegedly involved in the 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State. Over 40 worshippers were killed and several others injured in the assault. 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 linked to the incident.
A security source said the sixth suspect, identified as Sani Yusuf, had evaded arrest for nearly four years, making him one of the country’s most wanted fugitives. He was reportedly apprehended in Iguosa community along Powerline in Ovia North Local Government Area of Edo State after years of surveillance by DSS operatives.
According to the source, Yusuf is a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) who temporarily fled to Kano after the Owo church attack before relocating to Edo State. The source added that he has confessed to participating in the planning and execution of the massacre, as well as other terrorist operations attributed to ISWAP, including the July 2022 Suleja military barracks attack and kidnappings in Kaduna State and surrounding areas.
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