Five suspects involved in the massacre of worshippers at St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo state have been arrested.
Confirming the arrest, the Ondo state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu said.
“I can confirm what the CDS have said. They were arrested last week and the photographs of the suspects were forwarded to me.
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About five of them have been arrested while they’re on the trail of others.
On his part, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, said the masterminds of the June 5 massacre in Owo, Ondo State has been captured by security operatives.
Irabor disclosed this on Tuesday at a parley with media executives at the defence headquarters in Abuja.
He said that the terrorists were captured at different locations across the country.
He said that the suspects, majority of whom were arrested in various communities in Kogi, would be paraded before the public in due course.
“We had wanted to present the suspects to the public immediately but couldn’t because certain investigations are still being carried out,” he said.
He gave his assurance that in due course, the suspects and others who had been involved in some daring attacks in the past few months would be presented to the public.
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“Starting with the Owo church attack, it is my pleasure to let you know that we have arrested those behind that dastardly act.
“On Aug. 7, one Idris Ojo (37) was apprehended at Aiyetorosi in Ondo State. He was one of the high-profile Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) members that escaped from Kuje Prison.
“He was arrested along with one Jimoh Ibrahim, a 39-year-old criminal.
“Ojo was not done with all the criminal activities which he undertook in the past, he was also planning other deadly attacks and he was perfecting those plans along with his cronies before he was captured,” he said.
“Again, on Aug. 4, the military in a combined operation with the Department of State Service (DSS) arrested four terrorists at Eika in Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State.
“Others are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, otherwise known as Ibn Malik; Momoh Abubakar, Aliyu Itopa and Auwal Onimisi.
“Now, Omeiza is one of the masterminds of the June 5 Catholic Church attack in Owo as well as the attack on the police station in Adavi also in Kogi State that led to the killing of a policeman as well as weapons being carried away,” the CDS added.