Wanted Kidnapper Arrested During Screening Of Intending Pilgrims At Abuja Hajj Camp

Security operatives have apprehended a suspected kidnapper, Yahaya Zango, at the Abuja Hajj camp while he was undergoing routine screening alongside intending Muslim pilgrims set to be airlifted to Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj.

According to Daily Trust newspaper, a security source at the camp, who confirmed the arrest on Sunday, said Zango, who hails from Paikon-Kore in the Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), was declared wanted by security agencies over his alleged involvement in a series of kidnappings.

“It was this afternoon during the screening at the Hajj camp in the airport when the DSS operatives apprehended him and whisked him away,” the source stated, noting that the arrest occurred amid preparations for the airlift of pilgrims.

Zango reportedly presented his international passport and joined the queue with other intending pilgrims before operatives of DSS identified and arrested him.

Confirming the arrest, a senior official of the FCT Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, who requested anonymity, told the newspaper that the suspect had been on the run and was caught just as the screening process commenced.

“He tried to blend in with the pilgrims to escape detection, but the operatives were already on alert,” the official said.

The DSS was yet to issue an official statement on the arrest as of the time of filing this report.

Nigeria continues to grapple with rising insecurity, including banditry and kidnapping, particularly in the North-Central and North-West regions. Despite ongoing security operations, the country remains challenged by the persistence of criminal networks exploiting gaps in national security infrastructure.