The Department of State Services (DSS) has confirmed that several high-profile terrorism suspects are currently facing prosecution across the country as part of efforts to strengthen national security and ensure accountability.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the agency disclosed that five men are being tried for their alleged involvement in the June 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which claimed the lives of over 40 worshippers and left more than 100 injured.
The DSS also revealed that suspects linked to the June 2025 Yelwata massacre in Benue State, where dozens of residents were killed, are currently undergoing trial.
According to the DSS Director-General, Tosin Ajayi, the ongoing prosecutions underscore the commitment of security agencies to ensuring that those responsible for terrorism are brought to justice in line with the rule of law.
The agency stated that the Federal High Court in Abuja will continue the trial on November 19 of two wanted terror suspects, Mahmud Muhammad Usman and Abubakar Abba, who were arrested during a high-risk operation in July.
The duo, believed to be leaders of the ANSARU terrorist group, face a 32-count charge including terrorism financing and illegal mining. Usman has already been sentenced to 15 years for one of the offences, while Abba pleaded not guilty.
The DSS further confirmed that the prosecution of Khalid Al-Barnawi, the alleged mastermind of the 2011 United Nations building bombing in Abuja, is ongoing alongside four others before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Below is the full text of the DSS statement:
TERRORISM: DSS GIVES UPDATE ON PROSECUTION OF TERROR SUSPECTS
On November 19, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja will continue the trial of two terrorism suspects, Mahmud Muhammad Usman and Abubakar Abba, who are internationally wanted.
Usman (aka Abu Bara’a) and Abba (aka Isah Adam and Mahmud Al-Nigeri) were captured in a high-risk, intelligence-led, counter-terrorism operation in July by the DSS after several months of tracking them.
The two are believed to be leaders of the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU), Nigeria’s Al-Qaeda affiliate. Usman, the self-styled Emir of ANSARU, allegedly coordinated several terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria and masterminded multiple high-profile kidnappings and robberies used to finance terrorism.
Abba, Usman’s deputy and chief of staff, is alleged to have led the so-called Mahmudawa cell, which operated around Kainji National Park, spanning Niger and Kwara States and extending into the Republic of Benin.
According to a statement by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) on August 16, Usman received terrorist training in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, specializing in weapons handling and improvised explosive device (IED) fabrication.
Usman and Abba are being tried on a 32-count terrorism charge filed in August. One count related to illegal mining, to which Usman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while Abba pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The DSS is also prosecuting Khalid Al-Barnawi, accused of masterminding the August 26, 2011 bombing of the United Nations Complex in Abuja, which killed 20 people and injured over 70 others.
Captured in 2016, Al-Barnawi is being tried alongside four others — Mohammed Bashir Saleh, Umar Mohammed Bello (aka Datti), Mohammed Salisu, and Yakubu Nuhu (aka Bello Maishayi).
The trial had experienced delays due to procedural challenges, including the absence of defence counsel at several hearings. The DSS recently sought and obtained accelerated hearing from the court. On October 23 and 24, a trial-within-trial session was held, during which videos of the defendants’ confessional statements were played in court.
On August 11, the DSS arraigned five men before the Federal High Court in Abuja for their alleged role in the June 5, 2022 St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo attack.
The defendants — Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar — were arraigned on a nine-count terrorism charge (FHC/ABJ/CR/301/2025), accused of being members of the Al-Shabab terrorist group operating in Kogi State. They allegedly carried out the Owo attack to further their extremist ideology.
They all pleaded not guilty. Justice Nwite ordered their remand in DSS custody and later denied their bail request, citing the capital nature of the charges and strong evidence presented by the prosecution.
Also undergoing trial are suspects arrested in connection with the June 13, 2025 Yelwata massacre in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, which claimed dozens of lives and left 107 injured.
Following national outrage and President Bola Tinubu’s condolence visit to Benue State, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, announced on June 24, 2025, that 26 suspects had been arrested.
In August, the DSS filed terrorism-related charges against nine suspects before the Federal High Court in Abuja. Two others, Haruna Adamu and Muhammad Abdullahi, both from Nasarawa State and currently at large, were charged with concealing information about the planned attacks in Abinsi and Yelwata.
The DSS filed six separate charges against the suspects, including Musa Beniyon, Bako Malowa, Ibrahim Tunga, Asara Ahnadu, Legu Musa, Adamu Yale, Boddi Ayuba, and Pyeure Damina, who are all currently on trial.
Additionally, Terkende Ashuwa and Amos Alede of Benue State were charged with reprisal attacks against the terror suspects involved in the Yelwata and Abinsi killings. Their trial began in early September before Justice Nwite, with both pleading not guilty.
DSS Director-General Tosin Ajayi stated:
> “The various arrests and trials of terrorism suspects show that Nigeria’s security agencies are diligent in dealing with perpetrators of terror. The men we are prosecuting are separate from hundreds of suspects under military custody, whose cases are being handled by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation. In July last year, 125 terrorists were convicted.
We shall continue to make suspects accountable for disrupting the peace of our country, in consonance with the rule of law.”
DSS Confirms Ongoing Trials of High-Profile Terror Suspects Across Nigeria
