Security operatives, specifically the Department of State Services (DSS), have arrested a wanted kidnapper at the hajj camp in Abuja during pilgrim screenings ahead of their departure to Saudi Arabia, a security source confirmed to DailyTrust.
The security source revealed that the suspected kidnapper, identified as Yahaya Zango, was arrested on Sunday.
Zango, who resides in the Paikon-Kore area of Gwagwalada Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), had reportedly been declared wanted by security agencies over his alleged involvement in multiple kidnapping incidents.
According to the source, Zango was apprehended after he presented 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 was quoted as saying.
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 Department of State Services (DSS) has yet to issue an official statement regarding the development.
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 (ISWAP), 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.
