The Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday, in Abuja arraigned the suspected mastermind of the 2012 attack on Deeper Life Bible Church, Okene, Kogi State, Abdulmalik Abdulazeez Obadaki.
This comes barely two days after securing the sentencing of the leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Hussaini Ismaila, to 20 years imprisonment for terrorism,
The six count charge against Obadaki before a Federal High Court, include membership of a terrorist group, conspiracy, rendering assistance to acts of terrorism, concealment of information on activities of a terrorist group, and escape from lawful custody.
The accused pleaded guilty to count Six, which is escape from lawful custody, but pleaded not guilty on the other five counts.
Following Obadaki’s plea, the trial judge, Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik adjourned the case to January 26, 2026, to enable the court review facts relating to the count he pleaded guilty to, and those he pleaded not guilty to.
Accordingly, the court ordered that Obadaki be remanded in the custody of the DSS police until the next adjourned date.
It would be recalled that after the Okene church attack, Obadaki was believed to have led a gang that raided five commercial banks in Uromi, Edo State, killed several persons, and carted away huge sums of cash.
Obadaki was later trailed and arrested by security forces and remanded at the Kuje Prison, but escaped shortly during the July 2022 jailbreak at the Kuje Custodial Centre.
Security sources disclosed that the suspected terrorists’ leader confessed to orchestrating the Kuje Custodial Centre jailbreak following his transfer from Kabba Custodial Centre in June 2022.
In a related development, the DSS on Thursday, arraigned a social media user, Innocent Chukwuemeka, who used his X handle to canvass for a coup in Nigeria.
Chukwuemeka was slammed a six-count charge bordering on false publication to cause public alarm and cyber stalking.
Following Chukwuemeka’s plea of not guilty plea, the court also fixed January 26, 2026 for hearing and ordered that he be remanded in the custody of the DSS.
