Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have apprehended a sixth suspect in connection with the 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, which claimed the lives of more than 40 worshippers and left several others injured.
The suspect, Sani Yusuf, described as a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), was arrested in the Iguosa community along Powerline in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State, nearly four years after the incident.
Security sources confirmed that Yusuf had been one of Nigeria’s most wanted fugitives since the deadly Owo church attack in Ondo State.
“For years, DSS operatives have been on his trail,” one source said. “He was finally tracked and arrested quietly in the Iguosa area, where he had been hiding.”
The source added that Yusuf initially fled to Kano State shortly after the Owo attack before relocating to the remote Edo community, where he attempted to live under a false identity.
According to DSS investigators, Yusuf has confessed to participating in the planning and execution of the Owo church massacre.