DSS Arrests ISWAP Commander Linked to Owo Massacre

The Department of State Services (DSS) has captured Sani Yusuf, identified as a high-profile commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), who is linked to the June 5, 2022, massacre at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, where 40 worshippers were killed and several others injured.

Yusuf was apprehended in Iguosa community, Ovia North Local Government Area, Edo State, after evading arrest for nearly four years. Sources indicate that he fled to Kano shortly after the attack and later relocated to Edo State.

The arrest followed a sustained intelligence operation by the DSS, according to security sources, and is seen as a significant breakthrough in the pursuit of justice for the victims of the Owo church massacre. Yusuf has allegedly confessed to his involvement in the July 2022 attack on a military barrack in Suleja, Niger State, and multiple kidnapping operations in Kaduna State.

The DSS is currently prosecuting five other suspects linked to the Owo church attack.