BREAKING: DSS Arrests ISWAP Commander Linked To Owo Church Massacre

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested a sixth suspect in connection with the 2022 terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, where more than 40 worshippers lost their lives and several others sustained injuries.

According to Ireporter Online, security sources confirmed that the suspect, identified as Sani Yusuf, was apprehended in the Iguosa community along the Powerline axis of Ovia North Local Government Area of Edo State after allegedly evading capture for years. The source disclosed that Yusuf had remained on the radar of security agencies since the June 5, 2022 massacre but managed to flee Kano shortly after the incident before relocating to Edo State, where he reportedly blended into a rural community for nearly four years.

Security officials described him as one of the country’s most wanted fugitives, noting that his arrest followed sustained intelligence surveillance and tracking by DSS operatives. The source further alleged that Yusuf is a high-ranking commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and played a strategic role in the planning and execution of the Owo church attack.

According to the report, the suspect allegedly admitted involvement not only in the Owo church massacre but also in the Zuma Rock checkpoint assault that reportedly claimed the lives of five soldiers, as well as several kidnapping operations linked to the extremist group. He was also said to have confessed to participation in the July 2022 attack on a military barracks in Suleja, Niger State, and multiple abductions in Kaduna State and surrounding areas.

The DSS is currently prosecuting five other suspects over the Owo attack, including Idris Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25), and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47), who are facing charges bordering on terrorism and related offences.

Another security source revealed that Yusuf allegedly operated under senior ISWAP commanders, including Abu Ikirimah, who was arrested by the DSS in 2024.

Officials described the latest arrest as a major breakthrough in ongoing efforts to secure justice for victims of the Owo church massacre and other related attacks, emphasizing that it reflects the agency’s sustained counterterrorism operations across the country.