THE Department of State Services (DSS) has successfully re-arrested Abdulazeez Obadaki, a top-ranking member of the Ansaru terrorist organisation and the alleged mastermind of the 2022 Uromi bank robberies in Edo State, bringing an end to his two-year flight from justice.
News Point Nigeria reports that Obadaki, who escaped custody during the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre jailbreak in July 2022, had been on the run alongside dozens of other high-risk inmates.
His recapture marks a significant victory for Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts, especially as he is linked to multiple violent attacks across the country.
Security sources told News Point Nigeria that Obadaki was not only responsible for coordinating the well-planned Uromi bank raids but also connected to the deadly shooting at Deeper Life College in Okene, Kogi State, further cementing his position as a high-value target within the Ansaru network.
The DSS has not yet disclosed the location or details of the operation that led to his arrest, but sources described it as “intelligence-led and surgically executed.”
Obadaki’s recapture comes nearly three months after the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, announced the arrest of two of Ansaru’s top leaders, identifying them as Abu Baraa (also known as Mahmud Muhammad Usman), the group’s Amir, and Mahmud al-Nigeri, his deputy.
At a security briefing in August, Ribadu said the two men had been responsible for coordinating Ansaru’s sleeper cells across the country, financing terrorism through high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies, and orchestrating several major attacks.
According to the NSA, the arrested leaders have long been on Nigeria’s most-wanted list for their involvement in a series of violent operations, including:
The 2022 Kuje Prison jailbreak, which enabled Obadaki and over 400 inmates to flee
Attack on the Niger uranium facility
The 2013 kidnapping of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina
The May 1, 2019 abduction of Alhaji Musa Umar Uba, Magajin Garin Daura
Numerous ambushes on civilians, military personnel, and critical infrastructure
Ribadu also revealed that al-Nigeri trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under North African jihadist instructors, specialising in weapons handling and improvised explosive device (IED) fabrication.
His faction, known as the “Mahmudawa” cell, reportedly operated around Kainji National Park stretching from Niger State to the Benin Republic border.