Two suspected kidnap kingpins, Yahaya Yakubu and Sani Aliyu Galadi, were arrested by the State Security Service (SSS) on Sunday while attempting to leave Nigeria for Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj pilgrimage.
According to security sources, both suspects had been under surveillance for over a year and were apprehended during screening at the Abuja and Sokoto Hajj camps.
Mr Yakubu, a resident of Paikon-Kore in Gwagwalada, was arrested at the Abuja Hajj camp, while Galadi, who hails from Zamfara and is allegedly linked to bandit attacks in the Sokoto-Zamfara region, was captured in Sokoto.
“It was this afternoon during the screening at the Hajj camp in airport when the SSS operatives apprehended him and whisked him away,” a source said of Mr Yakubu’s arrest.
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An official from the Muslim pilgrims welfare board confirmed the arrest but declined to be named.
Both suspects were promptly transferred to the SSS headquarters in Abuja, where investigations are ongoing.
The arrests mirror a similar operation last year in which another suspected bandit, Abubakar Aliyu, was intercepted en route to Hajj.
Operatives reportedly identified the suspects during biometric and document checks at the camps.
Authorities say the development underscores growing concerns about criminal elements exploiting religious travel for escape.
