Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have apprehended the sixth suspect in connection with the deadly attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, in 2022. The brutal assault, which occurred during a Pentecost Sunday service on June 5, left over 40 worshippers dead and many others injured.
The DSS had previously arrested five individuals, identified as Idris Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25), and Momoh Abubakar (47), all of whom are currently facing terrorism-related charges in Abuja.
The latest suspect, Sani Yusuf, was arrested after years of surveillance by DSS operatives. According to a security source, Yusuf was apprehended at Iguosa community, located along Powerline in Ovia North Local Government Area of Edo State. Described as a high-profile commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Yusuf had reportedly been on the run since the Owo church attack. After the massacre, he briefly sought refuge in Kano before eventually relocating to Edo State.
The source disclosed that Yusuf had confessed to his involvement in planning and executing the Owo church massacre. “Our operatives had been on Sani Yusuf for years but he was arrested at Iguosa community, along Powerline in Ovia North Local Government Area of Edo State. Yusuf is a high-profile commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province. He had, after the Owo church attack, temporarily slipped into Kano before deciding to relocate to the sleepy community in Edo State,” the source said.
Beyond his role in the Owo church attack, Yusuf is reportedly linked to other violent incidents, including the July 2022 attack on the Suleja military barracks and several kidnappings in Kaduna State and nearby regions. According to further reports, Yusuf claimed involvement in the assault on the Zuma Rock checkpoint, which led to the deaths of five soldiers, as well as numerous ISWAP kidnapping operations. Yusuf also revealed that he had served under other top ISWAP commanders, including Abu Ikirimah, who was arrested by DSS in 2024.
Yusuf’s arrest underscores the DSS’s ongoing efforts to track the movements of terrorist cells operating in the southern regions of Nigeria. This operation highlights the agency’s vigilance in preventing the establishment of new operational bases by these groups in southern forests and peri-urban areas.
The attack on St. Francis Catholic Church remains one of the deadliest and most traumatic terrorist acts in the history of Southwest Nigeria. It shocked the nation and raised serious concerns about the expanding influence of ISWAP in regions previously considered insulated from the high-intensity insurgency prevalent in the Northeast. The mass killing of worshippers, which included women and children, brought into sharp focus the increasing reach of terrorist cells outside their traditional strongholds.
