Ondo Church Massacre: DSS Shifts Blame from ISWAP to Somalia-Based Al-Shabab Three Years After Attack
Three years after the deadly attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State which left about 40 worshippers dead and over 100 injured Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has changed its stance on who was responsible.
In June 2022, the then-President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and former Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola announced that intelligence pointed to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) as the culprits. At the time, security agencies promised to bring the attackers to justice.
However, in a surprising turn, DSS announced this week that it had arraigned five men before a Federal High Court in Abuja, accusing them of being members of Somalia-based jihadist group Al-Shabab. The suspects Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar pleaded not guilty to a nine-count terrorism charge.
Justice Emeka Nwite ordered their remand in DSS custody ahead of the trial set for August 19. Charges against them include membership in Al-Shabab’s Kogi State cell, possession of IEDs and AK-47 rifles, and carrying out the Owo church attack with the intent of advancing extremist ideology.
The shift from blaming ISWAP to naming Al-Shabab raises questions about the accuracy of the intelligence that guided the initial investigation. If proven, it would also mark a rare operational link between a West African attack and East Africa’s Al-Shabab, which is aligned with al-Qaeda and known for deadly assaults in Somalia, Kenya, and Uganda.
