The Department of State Services (DSS) has apprehended a wanted terrorist, Abdulazeez Obadaki, one of the inmates who fled during the Kuje prison break in the federal capital territory (FCT) in July 2022.
During the attack, more than 800 inmates — including Boko Haram suspects — escaped from the facility.
Obadaki, who was behind the bank attacks in Uromi, Edo state, and the fatal shooting at Deeper Life College Okene in Kogi state in 2022, was arrested on Friday morning, according to a source familiar with the agency. The source added that Obadaki is a member of the Ansaru terrorist group.
In August, Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser (NSA), announced the arrest of two senior figures of the Ansaru group believed to have coordinated the 2022 Kuje prison break.
The NSA identified the arrested leaders as Mahmud Usman (also known as Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar), the self-proclaimed Emir of Ansaru, and Mahmud al-Nigeri (also known as Malam Mamuda), his deputy and chief of staff.
Ribadu told journalists that the intelligence-driven operation — conducted from May to July — dismantled the leadership structure of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group.
He explained that the operation involved the armed forces, intelligence agencies, and security partners, noting that both suspects had long been on Nigeria’s most wanted list.
According to Ribadu, the raids targeted Ansaru hideouts in and around Kainji National Park, spanning Niger and Kwara states, with operational links extending into the Republic of Benin.
He said the arrested terrorists were connected to several high-profile attacks, including the Kuje prison break and an assault on a Niger uranium facility.
They were also implicated in the 2013 kidnapping of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina, the 2019 abduction of Musa Uba (Magajin Garin Daura), and the kidnapping of the Emir of Wawa.