DSS Arrest Another Wanted Kidnapper While Boarding Flight For 2025 Hajj To Saudi Arabia

The Department of State Services (DSS) has detained an alleged kidnapping mastermind, Sani Galadi, at the Sultan Abubakar International Airport in Sokoto as he was preparing to board a flight to Saudi Arabia for the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage.

Naijaonpoint understands that Galadi was taken into custody at the Hajj terminal during a standard screening process prior to his departure.

According to a source who spoke to PUNCH, he was apprehended while undergoing a final screening before leaving for the holy site today.

The source further indicated that the suspect is currently being investigated and will face charges in court following the completion of the interrogation.

A senior official from the Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Agency, Faruk Umar, also verified the arrest, emphasising that the suspect was not among the pilgrims from Sokoto.

“I also heard about the arrest, but I can comfortably tell you that the suspect is not a pilgrim from Sokoto but from Zamfara State,” he said.

“Sokoto pilgrims are not travelling today, it’s only those from Zamfara that will move today, the next flight for Sokoto is tomorrow, so definitely the arrested suspect is from Zamfara and not Sokoto.”

Umar clarified that the DSS screening is an integral component of a comprehensive agreement with state pilgrim agencies aimed at ensuring a safe environment for Hajj operations.

Naijaonpoint recalls that a wanted kidnapper identified as Yahaya Zango, who resided at Paikon -Kore in the Gwagwalada area council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), was arrested earlier by security operatives.

Zango was arrested on Sunday at the hajj camp in Abuja, during a screening of pilgrims who were preparing to be airlifted to Saudi Arabia.

A security source at the camp, who confirmed the arrest to Daily Trust, said security agencies had declared Zango wanted, following his alleged involvement in some kidnappings.

He said the suspect presented his passport alongside other Muslim contingents from Abuja who were on their way to observe this year’s hajj.

According to the security source, the suspect had been on the run after security launched a manhunt for him.

He said, “It was this afternoon during the screening at the hajj camp in the airport when the DSS operatives apprehended him and whisked him away.”

A senior official at the Muslim pilgrims’ welfare board, who did not want his name mentioned, also confirmed the arrest of the suspect.

At the time of filing this report, the DSS has yet to officially react to the development.