The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested a suspected kidnapper, Yahaya Zango, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja while he was preparing to embark on the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Zango, a resident of Paikon-Kore in the Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), had been declared wanted by security agencies over his alleged involvement in multiple kidnapping incidents.
According to reports, Zango was apprehended during a routine screening process for Muslim pilgrims at the Hajj camp when DSS operatives identified and arrested him.
The suspect had reportedly been on the run following a security-led manhunt and had presented his passport alongside other intending pilgrims before being taken into custody.
A senior official from the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board confirmed the arrest, stating it didn’t disrupt the travel plans of other pilgrims.
The DSS has yet to issue an official statement regarding the development. This arrest highlights the increasing use of religious gatherings by suspects to evade capture and the proactive measures being taken by security agencies to apprehend fugitives.
