In a covert operation that spanned two states, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Sunday apprehended two suspected kidnap kingpins at Hajj camps in Abuja and Sokoto, just as the suspects prepared to travel for the annual pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Security sources identified the suspects as Yahaya Yakubu and Sani Aliyu Galadi, who had reportedly been on the DSS watchlist for over a year. Their arrests were made possible during routine screening exercises at the camps.
Yakubu, a resident of Paikon-Kore village in Gwagwalada Area Council, was arrested at the Abuja Hajj camp, while Galadi — also known by the alias “Mai Boxer” and a native of Zamfara State — was picked up at the Sokoto Hajj camp, nearly 750 kilometres away.
“Yakubu presented his passport along with other Muslim travellers from Abuja who were preparing to embark on this year’s Hajj when DSS operatives apprehended him and whisked him away,” a source familiar with the operation revealed.
Sources allege that Galadi is behind multiple bandit attacks across the Sokoto–Zamfara axis, while Yakubu is suspected of orchestrating a string of kidnappings within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
DSS personnel reportedly recognized both suspects during the biometric verification process and acted swiftly. Galadi has since been flown to Abuja for further interrogation at DSS headquarters.
An official of the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, who asked not to be named, also confirmed the arrests.
The operation has drawn praise from security analysts for its timing and precision, as authorities tighten efforts to secure public spaces and clamp down on criminal networks using Hajj as a cover to evade justice.
