The Digest:
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested Shafiu Usman, the alleged mastermind behind the deadly December 14, 2025 attack on ECWA Church in Ayetoro, Kogi State, where over 20 worshippers were kidnapped. Security sources disclosed Usman was nabbed at a hideout in Gombe State, where he had been lying low. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to orchestrating the Ayetoro church attack and other kidnappings in Niger, Kwara, and Kogi States. Usman revealed he collaborated with Ibrahim Dange Battijo, a bandit operating across Niger, Kwara, Kogi, and Zamfara States, who supplied him with arms and ammunition. The DSS said the arrest underscores ongoing achievements in tackling banditry and terrorism, including recent operations in Gombe that neutralised arms trafficking networks, rescued kidnap victims, and dismantled cross-state syndicates.
KEY POINTS
- The arrest brings hope of justice for families of over 20 kidnapped worshippers.
- It demonstrates sustained security agency efforts to dismantle terror networks.
- Victims' families gain closure, while perpetrators face interrogation.
- This signals the long arm of intelligence reaching across state lines.
- The timing, with confessions obtained, strengthens prosecution case.
Sources: Daily Trust, DSS
