Nigeria: SSS Arrests Wanted Suspected Kidnappers At Hajj Camps

SSS officers arrested two suspected kidnap kingpins on Sunday. They were trying to leave Nigeria for Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj.

The suspects had been under surveillance by the State Security Service (SSS) for over a year. Screening at Hajj camps allowed operatives to make the arrests. The arrests took place at the Abuja and Sokoto Hajj camps.

Yahaya Yakubu was arrested at the Abuja camp. He lives in Paikon-Kore village, Gwagwalada area of the Federal Capital Territory. Sani Aliyu Galadi, from Zamfara, was caught at the Sokoto camp, nearly 750 kilometers away.

SSS officers recognized both men during screening and acted quickly. Yakubu is suspected of involvement in kidnappings and bandit attacks in Sokoto and Zamfara states.

He presented his passport while traveling with other pilgrims from Abuja. An SSS source said he was apprehended during screening at the airport Hajj camp.

A Muslim pilgrims welfare board official confirmed Yakubu's arrest but wished to remain anonymous. Aliyu has been flown from Sokoto to SSS headquarters in Abuja for further investigation.

Last year, the SSS also arrested Abubakar Aliyu, another suspected kidnapper, as he attempted to travel for Hajj from Zamfara State.