The families of those killed in the 2012 gun attack on the Deeper Life Bible Church in Otite, near Okene, Kogi State, alongside survivors and residents of the community, have commended the Department of State Services over the re-arrest and ongoing prosecution of Abdulmalik Abdulazeez Obadaki, the alleged mastermind of the attack.
Obadaki was recently arraigned by the DSS, a development that victims and their relatives described as reassuring, citing the speed and determination with which the secret police are pursuing the case.
They said the renewed effort has restored their confidence in the justice system and in the ability of the courts to deliver justice.
The deadly attack occurred on the morning of August 7, 2012, when three gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles stormed a Bible study session at the Deeper Life Bible Church, Otite.
Fifteen worshippers were killed on the spot, while four others later died from injuries sustained during the shooting. Several others were wounded in the assault, which was believed to have been carried out by members of the Ansaru terrorist group.
Investigations later linked Obadaki to the church attack, after which he allegedly led a gang that carried out coordinated raids on five commercial banks in Uromi, Edo State.
Those attacks reportedly left several people dead, with the assailants making away with large sums of money.
Obadaki was eventually arrested by security operatives and remanded at the Kuje Prison in Abuja. However, he escaped during the July 2022 jailbreak at the Kuje Custodial Centre, raising concerns among victims and their families that justice might never be served.
On November 15, 2025, the DSS announced that it had recaptured the fugitive Ansaru leader.
He was subsequently arraigned before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on a six-count charge bordering on terrorism, conspiracy, aiding attacks, concealment of information, and escape from lawful custody.
When the charges were read to him, Obadaki pleaded guilty only to count six, which relates to escaping from lawful custody. Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter to January 26, 2026, and ordered that the defendant remain in DSS custody pending the next hearing.
Residents of Otite expressed satisfaction with the development, praising the DSS for both the re-arrest of Obadaki and the promptness with which he was brought before the court, describing the actions as evidence that “the DSS has indeed changed.”
“In fact, before now, we had given up on ever getting justice. And you won’t blame us. After attacking the Deeper Life Church in our town, they moved to attack banks in Uromi. We, therefore, were happy to hear that he was arrested.
“The long years this Obadaki spent without trial began to sow seeds of doubt in our hearts. If you Google Otite today, what you’ll see is that terrorists attacked our Deeper Life Bible Church. We still live with the scars of that attack. The next thing we heard in 2022 was that he escaped during the Kuje jail break,” an Otite community leader said.
“Suddenly, like a bolt from the blues, we heard in mid -November that the DSS had recaptured him.
“Given all that we have heard concerning the DSS leadership, and the way it has quickly arraigned him, our cautious optimism has since given way to rekindled faith and hope that true change has come. Somehow, we believe that things will be different this time around, and we would get justice from our courts,” he affirmed.
