DSS Arrests Two Notorious Wanted Kidnap Suspects During Hajj Screening

By Dansu Peter  In a well-coordinated sting operation, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested two high-profile ...

By Dansu Peter 

In a well-coordinated sting operation, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested two high-profile kidnap suspects as they attempted to flee Nigeria under the guise of performing the holy pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

The first suspect, identified as Yahaya Yakubu, a resident of Paikon-Kore village in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), was apprehended at the Abuja Hajj camp. Sources say Yakubu was undergoing routine travel screening alongside other Muslim pilgrims when DSS agents discreetly moved in and took him into custody.

Meanwhile, nearly 750 kilometres away, another suspect, Sani Aliyu Galadi, was arrested at the Sokoto Hajj camp. Originally from Zamfara State, Aliyu—also known by the alias Mai Boxer—is believed to be behind a series of deadly bandit attacks across the Sokoto-Zamfara corridor.

According to security sources, both men had been under DSS surveillance for over a year. Intelligence officials say the nationwide Hajj screening process provided the perfect window to track and apprehend the suspects without raising alarm.

Aliyu, reportedly unaware that he was still a person of interest, was immediately flown to the DSS headquarters in Abuja for further investigation.

The arrests mark a significant breakthrough in ongoing efforts to dismantle kidnapping and banditry networks operating across northern Nigeria.