More than three years of evading arrest, a top commander of the Ansaru terrorist group, Abdulazeez Obadaki, has finally been recaptured by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Obadaki was identified as the mastermind of the August 7, 2012, deadly attack on worshippers at a Deeper Life Bible Church, near Okene in Kogi State.
The unfortunate incident saw at least 19 worshippers, including the pastor, killed after three gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles stormed the church during an evening service and opened fire on the congregation.
Available information indicated that Obadaki, who also coordinated attacks on five commercial banks in Uromi, Edo State, months after the Okene shooting, was initially arrested but escaped during the July 2022 jailbreak at the Kuje Custodial Centre, Abuja.
In his confessional statement, Obadaki also admitted playing a central role in planning the Kuje jailbreak shortly after he was transferred from the Kabba Custodial Centre in June 2022.
Security sources hinted that DSS operatives, acting on a “well-oiled intelligence operation,” tracked and re-arrested the fugitive, popularly known as Bomboy, on Friday morning, bringing to an end about three years’ manhunt for the suspect.
This development is coming barely two months after the DSS arraigned five suspects linked to the 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, which left dozens dead and many others injured.
Security operatives had blamed Obadaki’s criminal network for the February 2022 daylight attacks on several banks in Uromi, which claimed the lives of policemen and bank customers, while several millions of Naira were reportedly stolen in the deadly operation that shook the north central geo-political zone.
It is on records that the nation’s Secret Police has recently stepped up operations nationwide, with string of arrests made involving terrorists, violent criminals, and their financiers.
Insider sources confirmed that the new DSS’ leadership has been fast-tracking arrangements for the arraignment of all suspects currently held in custody.
