In a dramatic operation that stunned onlookers, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Sunday arrested a notorious kidnapping suspect, Yahaya Zango, at the Hajj camp of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. The suspect was caught during routine security screening as he prepared to join a group of Muslim pilgrims embarking on the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Security sources confirmed that Zango, a resident of the Paikon-Kore area in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), had been on the radar of security agencies for months due to his alleged involvement in a string of high-profile kidnapping cases in the FCT and surrounding states.
“It was during the routine documentation and screening of intending pilgrims that DSS operatives positively identified Zango from their wanted list,” a senior intelligence source told Daily Trust. “He was immediately apprehended and whisked away in a discreet but swift manner to avoid causing panic.”
The arrest reportedly caused a stir at the Hajj camp, with several pilgrims expressing shock that a fugitive attempting to flee justice had blended in with worshippers on their sacred journey.
A senior official from the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, who spoke on condition of anonymity, corroborated the arrest and commended the vigilance of the DSS. “It’s reassuring to know that our security architecture is alert even during sensitive religious operations,” the official stated.
Although the DSS is yet to issue a formal statement, security analysts believe that the capture of Zango is a significant win in the ongoing war against rampant insecurity in Nigeria.
Zango is believed to be connected to a kidnapping syndicate responsible for multiple abductions across the FCT and parts of Niger State. His arrest, authorities believe, could lead to the unraveling of deeper criminal networks operating in the nation’s capital.
Nigeria continues to battle a complex security crisis. While Boko Haram and ISWAP persist in the Northeast, the Northwest and North-Central regions remain plagued by banditry and mass abductions. The scourge of kidnapping has grown into a nationwide epidemic, turning into a multimillion-naira criminal enterprise that targets schoolchildren, civil servants, businesspeople, and everyday citizens alike.
Zango’s arrest while attempting to evade justice under the guise of religious devotion underscores the desperate tactics employed by criminal masterminds and reinforces the need for continuous intelligence-led operations to safeguard national security.
PIONEER NEWS 