Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), have arrested 4 suspected notorious bandits and kidnappers in Sokoto and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja during the screening of intending Muslim pilgrims.
According to insider sources, one of the suspects, identified as Aliyu Sani Galadi, also known as Mai Boxer was arrested last Monday at the Sultan Abubakar International Airport, Sokoto, after he was trailed by operatives of the Nigerian secret police.
Aliyu Sani Galadi a.k.a Mai Boxer is said to be an indigene of Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The other suspects, Ayuba Zakariyya was arrested around Sheda village, Kwali Area Council, FCT Abuja; Yahaya Yakubu was arrested around FCT Hajj Camp in Gwagwalada Area Council, and Aminu Auwal was arrested around Paikon Kore in Gwagwalada Area Council.
The arrest of these suspects comes less than 48 hours after the DSS led other security forces to arrest a suspected bandit and kidnapper, Yahaya Zango at the Abuja Airport last Sunday.
The suspect, simply identified as Yahaya Zango, is reportedly linked to multiple kidnapping incidents in Abuja and Kogi State.
Zango was said to have been arrested during the screening of intending pilgrims who were preparing to be airlifted to Saudi Arabia at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Yahaya Zango, like Aminu Auwal, resides at Paikon-Kore in Gwagwalada area council of the FCT.
ait.live source added that, all 5 suspects have been on the Secret Service watch list for some years now.
Concerns were raised in 2024 after 14 suspected bandits were reportedly sponsored to Saudi Arabia for Hajj. Three of the suspects were apprehended on their return, while one was controversially released under unclear circumstances.
For now, security agencies are said to be intensifying screenings and intelligence operations around this year’s pilgrimage to prevent a recurrence.
Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports that, Saudi security forces have arrested 2 women suspected of being the wife and mother of the Nigerian government’s most wanted bandit leader, Ado Aliero, after they went on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Aliero’s wife and mother were arrested in the city of Medina after they went on a pilgrimage before the start of the Hajj pilgrimage.
Ado Aliero is a Nigerian bandit leader who has been known to kidnap large numbers of people at a time, especially in Zamfara State and its surrounding areas.
