The Department of State Services (DSS) says its operatives have captured the sixth suspect involved in the 2022 deadly attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State,
The attack left more than 40 worshippers dead and several others injured.
The suspect, identified as Sani Yusuf, a senior commander in the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), was arrested in the Iguosa community along Powerline in Ovia North-East LGA, Edo State.
Yusuf had been evading capture since the attack nearly four years ago.
Sources within security agencies confirmed that Yusuf was among Nigeria’s most wanted fugitives following the Owo Church massacre.
He reportedly fled to Kano State immediately after the attack before relocating to Edo State, where he lived under an assumed identity.
DSS investigators say Yusuf has admitted involvement in planning and executing the Owo Church attack.
They said that he also confessed to participating in the Zuma Rock checkpoint assault, which killed five soldiers, the July 2022 Suleja military barracks attack, and several ISWAP kidnapping operations in Kaduna and surrounding areas.
Yusuf reportedly served under multiple ISWAP commanders, including Abu Ikirimah, who was arrested by the DSS in 2024.
A senior security official described the arrest as a major development in ongoing counterterrorism efforts and a step toward justice for the victims of extremist violence.
The DSS is currently prosecuting five other individuals—Idris Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25), and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47)—for their alleged roles in the Owo church massacre.
