Operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, have arrested a wanted kidnapper at the Hajj camp in Abuja while screening pilgrims before departure to Saudi Arabia.
The suspect, identified as Yahaya Zango, resides in the Paikon-Kore area of Gwagwalada Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory. He was had earlier declared wanted by security agencies over his alleged involvement in multiple kidnapping incidents.
Security source said Zango was apprehended on Sunday after presenting his passport as part of a group of Muslim pilgrims from Abuja preparing to embark on this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.
“It was this afternoon during the screening at the Hajj camp in the airport when the DSS operatives apprehended him and whisked him away,” the source said.
A senior official from the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, who preferred to remain anonymous, also confirmed the suspect’s arrest.
Daily Trust gathered that the suspect had been on the run following a security-led manhunt.
The DSS did not immediately issue an official statement on the arrest.
Nigeria has been grappling with multiple security threats that vary across its regions. In the Northeast, Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province have waged a violent insurgency since 2009. This conflict has caused massive loss of lives, displacement of millions, and destruction of infrastructure.
In the Northwest and parts of the North-Central region, armed bandits engage in cattle rustling, armed robbery, and large-scale kidnappings for ransom.
They operate from forested and rugged terrain, which makes it difficult for security forces to track and apprehend them.
Kidnapping has become a nationwide problem, affecting not only the North but also the South and Middle Belt. It is used as a lucrative criminal enterprise, targeting students, government officials, businessmen, and ordinary citizens.
At the Sotoko Hajj Camp, Zamfara-born Sani Aliyu Galadi was arrested by Eagle-eyed operatives.
DSS officers at the point of screening of both camps were able to recognize Zango and Aliyu, and promptly arrested them.
Aliyu alias Mai Boxer, who is suspected to be responsible for attacks by bandits in the Sokoto- Zamfara axis, has been flown from Sokoto to the DSS headquarters in Abuja.
Reported by Daily Trust
