The Department of State Services (DSS) has apprehended Shafiu Usman, one of the alleged masterminds of multiple kidnappings across Kogi, Niger, Kwara, and Zamfara states.
Usman is reported to have orchestrated the December 14, 2025, attack on the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Ayetoro, Kogi State, during which armed men abducted at least 30 residents, including children and elderly worshippers, from churches and homes in the Ayetoro-Kiri community of Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area.
According to DSS sources, Usman was arrested at a hideout in Gombe State, where he had gone into hiding following the Kogi church attack. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to masterminding the Ayetoro church attack as well as other kidnapping operations across Niger, Kwara, and Kogi states.
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A senior DSS officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, provided further details: “Our operatives arrested Shafiu Usman, the alleged mastermind behind the deadly attack on ECWA Church in Ayetoro, Kogi State.
“Usman was nabbed at a hideout in Gombe State, where he had been lying low. During interrogation, he confessed to orchestrating the Ayetoro church attack, as well as other kidnappings in Niger, Kwara and Kogi states. He collaborated with Ibrahim Battijo, a notorious bandit operating across Niger, Kwara, Kogi and Zamfara states.
“After the Kogi attack, Usman fled to Gombe, but DSS operatives trailed and arrested him. This arrest underscores the DSS’s ongoing efforts in tackling banditry and terrorism, including recent operations in Gombe State that neutralised arms trafficking networks, rescued kidnap victims and dismantled cross-state syndicates. The suspect remains in our custody awaiting arraignment.”
The arrest is part of a wider campaign by the DSS to crack down on banditry and kidnapping operations in northern Nigeria, highlighting the agency’s commitment to restoring security in affected communities.