The State Security Service has arraigned Abdulazeez Obadaki, also known as Bomboy, before a federal high court on charges related to terrorism. Obadaki is alleged to have masterminded the July 2022 attack on Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja, which enabled his own escape and that of other detainees. He is also accused of planning attacks on four commercial banks in Edo—First Bank, United Bank for Africa, Union Bank and Zenith Bank—in February 2022, during which N300,000 was stolen. Authorities suspect him of being a member of the Ansaru terrorist group.
Obadaki faces six counts, including joining a terrorist organization, failing to disclose information about a known terrorist, and providing support to the group. The charges allege that he joined Ansaru through an associate named Abu Muhsab and did not report Muhsab’s activities to security agencies. He is further accused of encouraging Muhsab and his gang to carry out the bank attacks and of conspiring with them to assault the Kuje Correctional Centre.
During the hearing, Obadaki pleaded guilty to the sixth count, which charges him with escaping from lawful custody, but pleaded not guilty to the remaining five counts. The court has adjourned the matter to 26 January 2026 to review the facts concerning the guilty plea and to hear the other charges. He remains in the custody of the State Security Service pending the next hearing.
The case is significant given Obadaki’s alleged involvement in multiple high‑profile terrorist incidents in Nigeria. In 2012, he was believed to have led a gang that raided five commercial banks in Edo, killing several people and seizing large sums of cash. He was later arrested and remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre, only to escape during the July 2022 jailbreak. Prosecuting Obadaki is viewed as a major step in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism.
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