DSS re-arrests notorious terror commander linked to Kogi church massacre

The Department of State Services has re-arrested a notorious commander of the Ansaru terrorist group, Abdulazeez Obadaki, bringing to a close his three-year run after escaping from the Kuje Custodial Centre in 2022.

Obadaki, widely known as Bomboy, is believed to have coordinated the deadly August 7, 2012, attack on the Deeper Life Bible Church in Okene, Kogi State.

At least 19 worshippers, including the pastor, were killed in the incident after three gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles stormed the church during an evening service and opened fire on the congregation.

According to a security source involved in the investigation, the suspect also organised the violent raids on five commercial banks in Uromi, Edo State, months after the Okene massacre.

The coordinated attacks led to multiple deaths, including policemen and bank customers, while hundreds of millions of naira were carted away.

Obadaki was initially arrested but later escaped during the July 2022 jailbreak at the Kuje Custodial Centre, an operation he allegedly helped to plan shortly after his transfer from the Kabba Custodial Centre in June of the same year.

According to the security sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, DSS operatives, acting on a “well-oiled intelligence operation,” tracked and re-arrested the fugitive on Friday morning, bringing an end to a prolonged manhunt that spanned more than three years.

The development comes barely two months after the DSS arraigned five suspects linked to the June 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, an incident that left dozens dead and many more injured.

Security officials believe Obadaki played a central role in establishing and coordinating a network responsible for several high-profile terrorist and criminal operations across the North-Central and South-South regions.