Victims’ Families, Survivors Laud DSS as Trial of Suspected Deeper Life Church Attack Mastermind Progresses
*Believe justice will be served
Families of victims and survivors of the 2012 gun attack on the Deeper Life Bible Church in Otite, near Okene, Kogi State, have commended the Department of State Security (DSS) for the re-arrest and renewed prosecution of Abdulmalik Abdulazeez Obadaki, the alleged mastermind of the deadly assault.
Obadaki was recently re-arraigned by the DSS in connection with the attack, which claimed the lives of more than 19 worshippers. The development has sparked renewed hope among victims’ families, survivors and residents of the community, who expressed satisfaction with what they described as the speed and vigour of the prosecution under the new leadership of the DSS.
They said the accelerated trial signals a strong commitment by the security agency to ensure justice for the victims after more than a decade of waiting. Many of them also expressed confidence in the judiciary to bring the long-running case to a just conclusion.
The attack occurred on the morning of August 7, 2012, when three gunmen armed with AK-47 assault rifles stormed a Bible study session at the Deeper Life Bible Church in Otite. Fifteen worshippers were killed on the spot, while four others later died from injuries sustained during the shooting. Dozens more were injured. The attack was believed to have been carried out by the Ansaru terrorist group.
Investigations later linked Obadaki to the church attack, as well as a series of violent crimes, including the coordinated robbery of five commercial banks in Uromi, Edo State, during which several people were reportedly killed and large sums of money stolen.
Obadaki was subsequently tracked down, arrested by security operatives and remanded at the Kuje Prison in Abuja. However, he escaped during the July 2022 jailbreak at the Kuje Custodial Centre, along with several other inmates.
On November 15, 2025, the DSS announced that it had recaptured the fugitive Ansaru leader.
Six days later, the secret police arraigned Obadaki before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the federal high court, Abuja, on a six-count charge bordering on terrorism, conspiracy, aiding attacks, concealment of information, and escape from lawful custody. When the charges were read, Obadaki pleaded guilty only to count six, which relates to escaping from lawful custody.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case to January 26, 2026, but added that the defendant should remain in the custody of the DSS pending the next hearing.
Residents of Otite said they were happy with the DSS for re-arresting the Ansaru leader, and for the swiftness with which the secret police arraigned him, saying the moves showed that “the DSS has indeed changed.”
Said one of the community leaders, “In fact, before now, we had given up on ever getting justice. And you won’t blame us. After attacking the Deeper Life Church in our town, they moved to attack banks in Uromi. We, therefore, were happy to hear that he was arrested.
“The long years this Obadaki spent without trial began to sow seeds of doubt in our hearts. If you Google Otite today, what you’ll see is that terrorists attacked our Deeper Life Bible Church. We still live with the scars of that attack. The next thing we heard in 2022 was that he escaped during the Kuje jail break,” continued the community leader.
“Suddenly, like a bolt from the blues, we heard in mid -November that the DSS recaptured him. Given all that we have heard concerning the new DSS leadership, and the way the new leadership quickly arraigned him, out cautious optimism has since given way to rekindled faith and hope that true change has come. Somehow, we believe that things will be different this time around, and we would get justice from our courts,” he affirmed.
Obadaki’s re-arrest and fresh arraignment have now revived hopes among affected families that justice, long delayed, may finally be served.
