The Department of State Services (DSS) announced on Tuesday that several high-profile terrorism suspects are currently undergoing trial across the nation as part of efforts to bolster national security and enforce accountability.
In its update, the secret agency revealed that five men are being prosecuted in connection with the June 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, which resulted in the deaths of more than 40 individuals.
Additionally, several suspects are facing terrorism charges related to the June 2025 Yelwata massacre in Benue State, where dozens lost their lives.
According to the DSS Director-General, Tosin Ajayi, the ongoing prosecutions demonstrate the commitment of security agencies to ensuring that those responsible for acts of terror are brought to justice in accordance with the rule of law.
The agency noted that the Federal High Court in Abuja will continue the trial of two wanted terror suspects—Mahmud Muhammad Usman and Abubakar Abba—on November 19. They were apprehended during a high-risk operation in July.
The pair, believed to be leaders of the ANSARU terrorist group, face a total of 32 charges, including financing terrorism and illegal mining.
Usman has already been sentenced to 15 years for one of the charges, while Abba has pleaded not guilty.
The DSS also continues the prosecution of Khalid Al-Barnawi, alleged mastermind of the 2011 bombing of the UN building in Abuja, alongside four others.
Since last year, over 125 convicted terrorists have been sentenced, with numerous other cases still awaiting resolution in the courts.
On November 19, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja will resume the trial of Mahmud Muhammad Usman and Abubakar Abba, who are wanted internationally.
Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, and Abba, known as Isah Adam and Mahmud Al-Nigeri, were captured in July during an intelligence-led counter-terrorism operation by the DSS after several months of pursuit.
The two are thought to be leaders of the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, commonly referred to as ANSARU, Nigeria’s affiliate of Al-Qaeda.
Usman, who styles himself as the Emir of ANSARU, is alleged to have coordinated various terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria and is believed to have orchestrated several high-profile kidnappings and robberies, the proceeds of which were used to fund terrorism over the years.
Abba, Usman’s chief of staff and deputy, is purported to have led the so-called “Mahmudawa” cell, which operated around Kainji National Park, bordering Niger and Kwara states, as well as the Republic of Benin.
According to a statement issued by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) on August 16, Mamuda received training in Libya between 2013 and 2015 from foreign jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, specialising in weapons handling and the fabrication of improvised explosive devices.
Usman and Abba are being prosecuted on 32 counts of terrorism, having been arraigned in late August. One count relates to illegal mining, to which Usman pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to 15 years, while Abba pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The DSS is also pursuing the prosecution of Khalid Al-Barnawi, accused of masterminding the bombing of the United Nations Complex in Abuja on August 26, 2011, which resulted in 20 deaths and over 70 injuries.
Captured in 2016, Al-Barnawi is on trial alongside four other terror suspects—Mohammed Bashir Saleh, Umar Mohammed Bello (aka Datti), Mohammed Salisu, and Yakubu Nuhu (aka Bello Maishayi).
The trial has faced delays due to legal and procedural issues, including instances where suspects were presented in court without legal representation.
Recently, the DSS requested the court for an expedited hearing in the case, a request that Justice Nwite has granted.
On October 23 and 24, a trial-within-a-trial was conducted, during which videos of the defendants’ confessional statements were shown in court.
On August 11, the DSS brought five men before a Federal High Court in Abuja for their alleged involvement in the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.
The five men—Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar—are accused of being members of the Al Shabab terrorist group, with a cell operating in Kogi State.
The attack claimed over 40 lives, with more than 100 individuals injured.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to a nine-count terrorism charge, FHC/ABJ/CR/301/2025, which accuses them of carrying out the attack to further their religious ideology. Following the reading of the charges, Justice Nwite ordered their remand in the custody of the prosecuting agency.
On September 10, the judge denied their bail application on the grounds that they faced capital offences and were alleged members of a notorious terrorist organisation. Justice Nwite concurred with the prosecution’s assertion that the evidence against the defendants was compelling and could not be overlooked.
The judge noted that the DSS’s argument regarding the likelihood of the defendants absconding was unchallenged and deemed credible.
Also undergoing trial are suspects arrested in relation to the Yelwata massacre in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State on June 13, 2025.
The attack resulted in numerous fatalities and 107 injuries, provoking international condemnation. President Bola Tinubu visited the state to offer condolences and demanded the arrest of those responsible.
On June 24, 2025, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun announced the arrest of 26 suspects linked to the massacre.
In August 2025, the DSS filed terrorism-related charges against nine suspects before the Federal High Court in Abuja. Two suspects, Haruna Adamu and Muhammad Abdullahi from Awe Local Government Area in Nassarawa State, remain at large and are charged with four counts of terrorism, including concealing information about the attacks that occurred in Abinsi and Yelwata villages between June 13 and 14.
In total, the DSS has filed six separate charges against the arrested suspects, who are now undergoing trial. These include Adamu, Abdullahi, Musa Beniyon, Bako Malowa, Ibrahim Tunga, Asara Ahnadu, Legu Musa, Adamu Yale, Boddi Ayuba, and Pyeure Damina.
The DSS has also charged two other suspects, Terkende Ashuwa and Amos Alede from Guma Local Government Area in Benue State, with three counts for allegedly carrying out a reprisal attack against the terror suspects involved in the Abinsi and Yelwata attacks.
Their trial commenced in early September before Justice Nwite, with the defendants pleading not guilty.
Director General of the DSS, Tosin Ajayi, stated, “The various arrests and trials of terrorism suspects demonstrate that Nigeria’s security agencies are diligent in addressing the perpetrators of terror in the country. The individuals we are prosecuting are distinct from the hundreds of suspects under military protective custody, whose cases are managed by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation. In July last year, 125 terrorists were convicted.
“We will continue to hold suspects accountable for disrupting the peace of our nation, in accordance with the rule of law.”
