Two more terrorists suspected to be members of the Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP) who attacked the St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, months ago have been arrested.
The Ondo State governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, had on Tuesday confirmed that about five terrorists linked to the attack were arrested in the State, CEOAFRICA had reported.
Barely two days after the report, the Military High Command on Thursday disclosed that two additional terrorists who killed over 40 worshippers in the church on June 5 have been nabbed.
The disclosure was made in a statement issued by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Jimmy Akpor.
Revealing details of the suspects, Gen. Akpor said they are: Al-Qasim Idris and Abdulhaleem Idris.
He stated that the suspected terrorists were arrested at Omialafara (Omulafa), Ose Local Government Area, Ondo State, on Tuesday through the joint efforts of the military and the Department of State Services, DSS.
The statement reads partly, “Barely few hours after the disclosure by the CDS of the arrest of 4 of the Owo Catholic Church attackers, 2 additional ISWAP terrorists, who were also connected to the attack on the church were apprehended at Omialafara (Omulafa), Ose LGA, Ondo State yesterday, 9 August 2022.
“The arrests were made through the collaborative effort by military and DSS personnel. The suspects are Al-Qasim Idris and Abdulhaleem Idris.
“It is instructive to note that Abdulhaleem, alongside other high profile ISWAP Commanders, had also previously coordinated attacks on military targets in Okene, Okene LGA, Kogi State resulting in casualties”.