Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested a suspect linked to the attack on a church in Kogi State.

The suspect, identified as one Shafiu Usman, is said to have been the mastermind of the 2025 deadly assault on the First ECWA Church in Ayetoro Kiri, Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of the North-Central state.

A DSS source confirmed the arrest to Channels Television via the telephone on Friday.

However, the source did not provide further details as to where or when the suspect was apprehended.

Gunmen suspected to be terrorists had, on December 14, 2025, stormed the First Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA).

The attack reportedly occurred when the assailants stormed the church during a worship service, firing indiscriminately to cause panic among congregants.

Eyewitnesses said that the gunmen arrived while the service was in progress, forcing many worshippers to flee, while an undisclosed number were seized and taken away through nearby bush paths.

The attack plunged the community into confusion and fear, as residents scampered to safety amid the sound of gunshots.

Owo Church Attack

The arrest comes a few days after the secret service announced the arrest of a “high-profile commander” of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) linked to the June 5, 2022, attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo state.

The suspect, identified as Sani Yusuf, is the sixth person to be arrested in connection with the attack, which left over 40 worshippers dead and several others injured.

The DSS is currently prosecuting five other suspects — Idris Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25), and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47) — for allegedly masterminding the massacre.

According to a security source, the suspect was apprehended in the Iguosa community, along Powerline, in Ovia North-East, Edo state.

Yusuf was said to have served other top ISWAP commanders, including Abu Ikirimah, who was arrested by the DSS in 2024.

The incident is the second reported attack on a church in Okun land in recent weeks.

On November 30, armed men invaded a Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Ejiba, Yagba West Local Government Area, abducting a cleric identified as Orlando and about 13 worshippers during a service. (Channels TV)

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