News Update

Details of the operations of the Department of State Services, which led to the arrest of 10 suspected members of Boko Haram/Islamic State’s West Africa Province in Ilesa, Osun State, have been revealed.

The operation was carried out at an old bungalow building close to St. Mary Catholic Church, Ifofin, and Ogbon Idio, Ilesa, in the Ilesa-East Local Government Area of the state.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that the raid happened around 1am on December 16, 2024, and was carried out by a team of DSS operatives numbering about 30. News about the arrest of the suspects became public knowledge on January 10, when the DSS sought an order from a Federal High Court in Abuja to detain them for 60 days. Advertisements The suspects are Adamu Abubakar (aka Abu Aisha), Babagana Bashuli, Muhammed Adam, Mustapha Abacha, Katuru Muhammed, Babakura Abacha, Muhammed Ciroma, Ali Gambo, Muhammed Umoru, and Muhammed Bundi.

According to the DSS, the suspects were arrested while undergoing training on how to manufacture and detonate explosives, disclosing that its preliminary investigation revealed that the respondents were members of the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorist group.

Our correspondents reliably gathered that the operation, which led to their arrest, lasted 90 days and was carried out by two different teams from the DSS headquarters.

The first team, according to sources, arrived in Ilesa in late September, while the second team arrived in mid-November 2024.

“Osun command was not involved in the operation because the first signal on the activities of members of ISWAP in Ilesa was compromised,” a source said.

Sharing his knowledge of the operation with Saturday PUNCH on Thursday, another highly credible source said, “The operation was carried out in the wee hours of that day at Ifofin, Ilesa, and it went well. There was no gunshot at all, and that prevented people from knowing about it.

“The undercover agents arrived in Ilesa last September 2024. They lived and interacted with people in the area and were able to pin down the exact location of the suspects.

“After confirming the locale and the activities of the suspects, a tactical team was sent from the headquarters, and the officers understudied the environment for another 30 days.

The suspects were arrested with ISWAP materials and bomb-making equipment.

“None of the personnel who carried out the operation lived in Osun, and the majority of them left immediately after they arrested the suspects. The last batch of the team left last Saturday.” m

The officer told Saturday PUNCH that after the operation, some senior officers of the service, including the ‘PSO’, were transferred from Osun to other states.

According to him, about 150 personnel had earlier been transferred before the final day of the operation.

“After the operation, the Osun PSO and some other senior officers were transferred out of the command. Before the operation was finalised, more than 150 personnel in Osun were deployed in the northern states, including Benue, Jigawa, and Bauchi, for reasons known to the service,” he added.

According to the security source, the DSS had been tracking some of the ISWAP members since 2023 when there was intelligence that they wanted to attack a church in Ilesa. “In 2023, there was intelligence that ISWAP wanted to attack a church in Ilesa. A signal was sent to the police, but unfortunately, it was leaked, which jeopardised our operation to arrest the suspects. We have been tracking them since then,” he stated.

He further revealed that members of ISWAP were involved in the bank robberies that occurred in Iree and Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government Area of the state in 2021.

According to the source, it is not the first time the DSS will arrest suspected ISWAP/Boko Haram members in Osun, disclosing that some suspected terrorists from Sokoto and Zamfara states were arrested in Ile-Ife in 2022.

“We arrested some in 2022 in Ile-Ife. In the course of that operation, the palace of a monarch was raided, likewise some other people in the town,” he said. Another security source also confirmed that the DSS operatives had been tracking the suspects for months, noting that those arrested were not living in the same house. “They were picked up in Ogbon Idio and Ifofin areas of Ilesa, in Ilesa East Local Government Area of Osun State, on December 16. They were not staying in the same house but lived close to each other. All of them are watch repairers, and they sell glasses and watches too.

“There are many Hausa residents in the neighborhood where they were picked up, but those who carried out the operation knew exactly those they were looking for, and they went straight for them. “Even some of their kinsmen could not still believe they are suspected members of ISWAP, but those that arrested them have strong reasons to suspect them,” the source further said.

Governor Adeleke Reacts

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NationalGov Adeleke Commends Security Operatives Over Arrest Of Suspected Boko HaramPublished 33 minutes ago on January 18, 2025By Hammed TajudeenOsun 2026: Olawale Speaks On Gov Adeleke’s Reported Plans To Decamp To APC

• Assures Safety of Residents

Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke has commended the personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS), on the successful operation, that led to the arrest of 10 suspected members of Boko Haram/Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Ilesa, Osun State.

Governor Adeleke hailed the alertness of security operatives, to eliminate the threats posed by the suspected terrorists, which gives further assurance that our security agencies are up to the task of sustaining peace and security of every part of Nigeria.

The Governor particularly commended the intelligence gathering of the personnel of the State Service, who have painstakingly monitor the activities of the suspected criminals and moved swiftly to cut off their dastardly act.

“This is a welcome development and a big relief, not just for us as a government but to the people of the state and Nigeria in general. I commend the security operatives for their alertness and intelligence driven operation. We have absolute confidence in our security forces to keep protecting us”, Governor Adeleke declared.

The Governor assured that his administration will continue to cooperate with security agencies and support their operations to ensure maximum protection of lives and property of Osun people, noting that this remains top of his priority.

“As the Chief Security Officer of Osun State, I will continue to give priority to issues of security of my people. I will continue to support efforts of security agencies to guard against any breakdown of law and order in any part of Osun. We will sustain the good relationship and collaboration that currently exists between our administration and the security agencies in the state” the Governor noted.

Governor Adeleke enjoined residents of Osun to continue to be watchful, and report any suspicious activity in their neighborhoods to relevant security agency, while assuring that Osun will continue to be a peaceful state under his watch.

“I hereby call on my people to continue to live in peace and harmony and be at alert to report any suspicious activities or behavior around them to the relevant security authorities. Together, we will ensure that Osun remains the most peaceful state in Nigeria” Governor Adeleke concluded.