Families of victims and survivors of the 2012 gun attack on the Deeper Life Bible Church, Otite, near Okene in Kogi State, have expressed gratitude to the Department of State Security (DSS) for re-arresting Abdulmalik Abdulazeez Obadaki, the suspected mastermind of the assault, and for expediting his trial.
On 7 August 2012, three armed men stormed a Bible study session at the church and opened fire with AK-47 rifles. Fifteen worshippers were killed instantly, while four others later died from injuries sustained. Several dozens were wounded in what was believed to be an attack orchestrated by the Ansaru terrorist group.
Following the incident, Obadaki was alleged to have led a gang that raided five commercial banks in Uromi, Edo State, killing several people and carting away large sums of money. He was eventually arrested and remanded at Kuje Prison but escaped during the July 2022 jailbreak at the Kuje Custodial Centre.
On 15 November 2025, the DSS announced that it had recaptured Obadaki. Six days later, he was arraigned 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 escaping from lawful custody. Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case to 26 January 2026 and ordered that the defendant remain in DSS custody until the next hearing.
Residents of Otite welcomed the development, praising the DSS for its swift action. One community leader said, “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 jailbreak.”
He continued, “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, our 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.”
Survivors and families of victims echoed similar sentiments, affirming their confidence in the ability of the court to deliver justice and commending the DSS for what they described as renewed vigour in prosecuting the case.
