Wanted Ansaru terrorist's commander, Abdulazeez Obadaki (AKA Bomboy)
Department of State Services (DSS) has re-arrested Abdulazeez Obadaki, a senior figure in the Ansaru terror network and one of the most wanted escapees from the 2022 Kuje Custodial Centre attack.
Obadaki, also known as “Bomboy,” had been on the run for more than three years before operatives finally closed in on him on Friday morning following what security officials described as a “well-oiled intelligence operation.”
Obadaki is accused of coordinating several high-profile terror attacks, including the August 7, 2012 massacre at a Deeper Life Bible Church near Okene, Kogi State, where at least 19 worshippers — among them the pastor — were shot dead. Gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles stormed the church during evening service, firing indiscriminately at the congregation.
Security sources also link him to the deadly bank raids in Uromi, Edo State, during which policemen and customers were killed and large sums of money were stolen. The February 2022 robberies caused widespread panic across the area.
According to intelligence officials, Obadaki had previously been arrested but escaped during the July 2022 Kuje prison break.
He has reportedly confessed to playing a central role in planning that jailbreak shortly after he was transferred from the Kabba Custodial Centre in June of the same year.
His capture comes less than two months after the DSS arraigned five suspects connected to the 2022 attack on a Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State — another incident that shook the nation.
Security authorities say the latest arrest underscores a recent string of breakthroughs under the DSS’s current leadership, which has been pushing for faster prosecution of terrorism and other high-risk criminal cases.
