The Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday arraigned two men before a Federal High Court in Abuja just two days after it secured a 20-year terrorism sentence against ISWAP commander Hussaini Ismaila.
The first defendant, Abdulmalik Abdulazeez Obadaki, alleged mastermind of the 2012 attack on Deeper Life Bible Church in Okene, Kogi State, was brought before Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik on a six-count terrorism charge.
The charges include membership of a terrorist group, conspiracy, assisting acts of terrorism, concealment of information, and escape from lawful custody.
Obadaki pleaded guilty only to the count of escaping from custody, but not guilty to the remaining five.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case to January 26, 2026, saying the court would “review the facts of the admitted charge and proceed to trial on the others.” Obadaki was ordered remanded in DSS custody.
Obadaki, believed to have later led the deadly 2022 Uromi bank raids in Edo State, had previously escaped during the July 2022 Kuje Prison jailbreak.
Security sources say he has since confessed to coordinating that jailbreak after being transferred from Kabba Custodial Centre.
In a separate case on Thursday, the DSS also arraigned Innocent Chukwuemeka, a social media user accused of calling for a coup via posts on his X handle. He faces a six-count charge bordering on false publication intended to cause public alarm and cyberstalking.
Chukwuemeka pleaded not guilty, and the judge likewise fixed January 26, 2026, for hearing.
He was also remanded in DSS custody.
The DSS says both prosecutions form part of its efforts to curb “threats to national security and public order.”
