By By Elizabeth Ugbo
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested Shafiu Usman, the alleged mastermind of the December 14, 2025 attack on ECWA Church in Ayetoro, Kogi State, where over 20 worshippers were kidnapped. Security sources said the DSS apprehended him in Gombe State after tracking him to his hideout. According to the sources, Usman confessed to organising the church attack and other kidnapping operations across Niger, Kwara, and Kogi States.
How DSS Tracked and Arrested the Suspect
Security officials said Usman fled to Gombe State shortly after the Kogi attack. However, DSS operatives tracked his movements and arrested him at his hideout.
A source confirmed that investigators interrogated the suspect after his arrest. During questioning, Usman reportedly admitted his role in the Ayetoro church abduction.
Confession Links Suspect to Wider Criminal Network
According to security sources, Usman confessed to participating in kidnapping, banditry, and cattle rustling across several states.
He also named Ibrahim Dange Battijo as his collaborator. Usman alleged that Battijo supplied him with arms and ammunition for their operations.
Sources described Battijo as a bandit operating across Niger, Kwara, Kogi, and Zamfara States. Investigators have intensified efforts to apprehend other members of the syndicate.
DSS Intensifies Crackdown on Banditry
Security officials said the arrest highlights the DSS’s sustained operations against banditry and terrorism.
They noted that recent operations in Gombe State dismantled arms trafficking networks, rescued kidnapped victims, and disrupted cross-state criminal groups.
The DSS has yet to release an official statement regarding the arrest as of press time.
