The Department of State Services has announced that several high-profile terrorism suspects, including those linked to the 2022 Owo church massacre and the 2025 Yelwata killings in Benue State, are currently undergoing prosecution in various courts across the country.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Director-General of the DSS, Tosin Ajayi, said the ongoing trials reflect the government’s commitment to tackling terrorism through lawful means.
According to the agency, five suspects charged in connection with the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State—where over 40 worshippers were killed—are being prosecuted before a Federal High Court in Abuja on terrorism-related offences. The court has previously denied them bail.
Similarly, the DSS disclosed that suspects arrested over the June 2025 massacre in Yelwata, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, where dozens of residents were killed and over 100 injured, are also facing multiple terrorism charges. Nine of the suspects are standing trial, while two others remain at large.
The agency further revealed that the trial of two alleged leaders of the ANSARU terrorist group, Mahmud Muhammad Usman and Abubakar Abba, will resume on November 19 at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Both were arrested during a high-risk operation in July and are facing a 32-count terrorism charge, including terrorism financing and illegal mining.
Usman, described as “the self-styled Emir of ANSARU,” has already been handed a 15-year sentence on one of the counts.
Also ongoing is the prosecution of Khalid Al-Barnawi, said to be the mastermind behind the 2011 bombing of the United Nations building in Abuja, alongside four other suspects. The case has seen delays but recently resumed with accelerated hearing granted by the court.
Ajayi said the prosecutions demonstrate that security agencies are not only tracking terror suspects but ensuring they face justice.
“The various arrests and ongoing trials show that Nigeria’s security agencies are diligent in dealing with those responsible for disrupting the peace of our country,” Ajayi said.
“We shall continue to make suspects accountable in accordance with the rule of law.
He added that the cases being handled by the DSS are separate from hundreds of others currently being processed under the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
