The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has apprehended Yusuf Ismael Isah, a 32-year-old man from Okene, Kogi State, for his involvement in the assault on the convoy of prominent cleric Apostle Johnson Suleman.
The attack, which occurred on October 21, 2022, along the Benin-Auchi Road, resulted in the tragic deaths of six individuals, including three police officers.
Following a thorough investigation by FIB-IRT operatives, Isah was captured. Two members of the seven-man gang were killed in separate encounters with the police, while the remaining four are currently evading capture.
During the arrest, Isah, a plumber residing in Akure, Ondo State, was found in possession of five AK47 rifles, two K2 assault rifles, 180 live ammunition, and four suspected improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Investigations revealed that some of the rifles seized from Isah had been stolen from the police officers slain during the attack on Apostle Suleman’s convoy.
Isah confessed to journalists that he joined the criminal gang in 2021, shortly after his release from Olokuta Correctional Centre, where he had been held since 2019 for alleged involvement in armed robbery.
He admitted that he and his gang members trailed the pastor with the intention to assassinate him, but claimed not to know the individual who ordered the assassination.
Isah further disclosed that the gang specialized in ransom kidnappings and had conducted several operations between 2021 and 2023.
One notable incident was the abduction of a prominent oil dealer in Jetu, Auchi, in 2022, where they collected a ransom of approximately N70 million before releasing the victim.
They also kidnapped a businessman on the Benin-Agbor Expressway in 2022, securing a ransom of N20 million from the victim’s family.
Their most recent attempted kidnapping of Apostle Suleman that occurred on the Owo-Ikare Road but was thwarted by the police escort accompanying their target.
