In a significant escalation of Nigeria’s judicial war on terror, the Department of State Services (DSS) has secured a major conviction and initiated a wave of fresh prosecutions against key terror suspects, including commanders of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The developments, spanning from November 18 to 20, 2025, signal a renewed vigour in the nation’s security apparatus under its new leadership.
The decisive legal action commenced on Tuesday, 18th November, when Ismaila, a prominent ISWAP leader known as “Mai Tangaran,” pleaded guilty before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The DSS, prosecuting under the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act 2013, secured his conviction on a four-count terrorism charge.
Justice Nwite sentenced Ismaila to 15 years imprisonment on the first count and 20 years each on counts two, three, and four, with the sentences to run concurrently. The convict was responsible for coordinating the devastating 2012 attacks on the Police Headquarters in Bompai, Kano State, and other critical facilities, which left numerous people injured.
In a rapid follow-up, the DSS on Wednesday, 19th November, filed terrorism charges against seven key IPOB commanders linked to the Finland-based factional leader, Simon Ekpa. The charges, with suit numbers FHC/ABJ/CR/632/2025, FHC/ABJ/CR/633/2025, and FHC/ABJ/CR/634/2025, accuse the suspects of receiving funds and material support from Ekpa and other foreign-based IPOB members.
A focal point of the IPOB financing case is Ibrahim Ali Larabo, an illegal immigrant from the Niger Republic. The DSS alleges that Larabo, operating an unlicensed Bureau de Change, was a central figure in providing financial services for the Simon Ekpa-led proscribed group. He is accused of receiving and disbursing large sums of money to fund IPOB’s terror activities in the South-East.
The seven suspects have been established to be IPOB commanders, arms dealers and couriers, Eastern Security Network (ESN) fighters, and foot soldiers who were funded and directed by Simon Ekpa. Ekpa himself was recently convicted on terror-related charges and sentenced to six years imprisonment in Finland.
These recent cases are part of a broader, coordinated legal offensive by the DSS. The agency is also prosecuting two internationally-wanted terror suspects, Mahmud Muhammad Usman (aka Mamuda) and Abubakar Abba (aka Abu Baara), with their trial set to resume before Justice Nwite on 15th January 2025.
In a long-running case, Khalid Al‑Barnawi, the alleged mastermind of the 26th August 2011 United Nations building bombing in Abuja, is also being prosecuted by the DSS alongside four others.
Furthermore, five individuals have been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja over their alleged involvement in the 5th June 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
The DSS is equally prosecuting ten suspects arrested in connection with a series of attacks in Benue and Plateau states, following a direct directive from President Bola Tinubu to apprehend the perpetrators.
Adding to the list of high-profile suspects awaiting trial is the recaptured Abdulazeez Obadaki (aka Bomboy), believed to be an internationally known ISWAP leader. Obadaki has confessed to masterminding attacks on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, and the Deeper Life Church in Okene. Also in custody is Musa Abubakar, a key manufacturer and supplier of arms and ammunition arrested in Plateau State.
A source within the DSS attributed this flurry of judicial activity to the directive of the Director-General, Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, who upon assuming office in August 2024, ordered a comprehensive review of all inherited cases.
“The DG directed that forensic investigations be conducted on these cases to aid diligent prosecution in accordance with Nigerian laws,” said Favour Dozie, the Deputy Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications for the DSS, in a statement released on 20th November 2025.
This coordinated legal push demonstrates a strategic shift towards leveraging the judicial system to complement kinetic operations in the ongoing battle against terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria.
