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Operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, have arrested a sixth suspect linked to the 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, where more than 40 worshippers were killed and several others injured.
The suspect, identified as Sani Yusuf, was reportedly apprehended in Iguosa community, Ovia North East local government area of Edo State, nearly four years after the incident.
Security sources said Yusuf, described as a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, had been on the agency’s watchlist since the attack in Owo, Ondo State.
It was gathered that Yusuf was tracked and arrested quietly in the area where he had allegedly been hiding under a false identity.
Investigators disclosed that the suspect allegedly fled to Kano State shortly after the church attack before relocating to a remote community in Edo.
A security official said Yusuf had confessed to taking part in the planning and execution of the massacre, stating that “he admitted his role in the Owo church attack” and other operations, including a checkpoint assault that reportedly killed five soldiers and several kidnapping missions.
Further findings by intelligence officers linked the suspect to other violent incidents, including the July 2022 attack on a military facility in Suleja and multiple kidnappings in parts of Kaduna State.
Authorities described the arrest as a major step in ongoing counterterrorism efforts and the pursuit of justice for victims of extremist violence.
Four years after, DSS nabs ISWAP commander involved in Owo church massacre
