The Department of State Services (DSS) has arraigned Abdulmalik Abdulazeez Obadaki, the alleged mastermind of the 2012 deadly attack on a De...
The Department of State Services (DSS) has arraigned Abdulmalik Abdulazeez Obadaki, the alleged mastermind of the 2012 deadly attack on a Deeper Life Bible Church in Otite, near Okene, Kogi State.
Obadaki is accused of coordinating the gun assault on August 7, 2012, when three armed men wielding AK-47 rifles stormed a Bible study session at the church and opened fire. At least 15 worshippers were killed instantly, while four others later died from injuries sustained in the attack, bringing the death toll to 19. Several others were injured. The attack was widely believed to have been carried out by the Ansaru terrorist group.
Security sources also allege that following the Okene church massacre, Obadaki led a criminal gang that carried out coordinated raids on five commercial banks in Uromi, Edo State, killing several people and making away with large sums of money.
He was subsequently arrested by security operatives and remanded at the Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja, but escaped during the July 2022 jailbreak at the facility.
On November 15, 2025, the DSS announced that it had recaptured the fugitive Ansaru leader. Six days later, Obadaki was brought before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, where he was arraigned on a six-count charge bordering on terrorism, conspiracy, aiding terrorist attacks, concealment of information, and escape from lawful custody.
During the arraignment, Obadaki pleaded guilty only to the sixth count, which relates to his escape from detention, and pleaded not guilty to the remaining charges.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case to January 26, 2026, and ordered that the defendant remain in the custody of the DSS pending further hearing.
No comments