Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested Shafiu Usman, the alleged mastermind behind the deadly attack on ECWA Church in Ayetoro, Kogi State, where over 20 worshippers were kidnapped on December 14, 2025.
Security sources who spoke with Daily Trust disclosed that Usman was apprehended at a hideout in Gombe State, where he had reportedly been lying low after the attack.
According to sources, Usman confessed during interrogation to orchestrating the Ayetoro church attack and other kidnapping operations across Niger, Kwara and Kogi States.
He was also said to have admitted involvement in banditry and cattle rustling.
“Shafiu admitted to involvement in kidnapping, banditry, and cattle rustling. He said Ibrahim Battijo supplied him with arms and ammunition,” a security source said.
The suspect reportedly revealed that he collaborated with Ibrahim Dange Battijo, described as a bandit operating across Niger, Kwara, Kogi and Zamfara States.
Sources further disclosed that following the Kogi attack, Usman fled to Gombe State in an attempt to evade arrest.
“After the Kogi attack, Usman fled to Gombe, but DSS operatives trailed and arrested him,” the source added.
The arrest, according to security officials, underscores the agency’s continued operations against banditry and terrorism.
“This arrest underscores the DSS’s ongoing achievements in tackling banditry and terrorism, including recent operations in Gombe State that neutralized arms trafficking networks, rescued kidnap victims, and dismantled cross-state syndicates,” the source said.
As of the time of filing this report, the DSS had yet to issue an official statement on the arrest.
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