The Department of State Services has arrested a suspected kidnap kingpin, Sani Galadi, at Sultan Abubakar International Airport in Sokoto State while he was preparing to travel to Saudi Arabia for the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage.
A source who spoke on condition of anonymity said Galadi was arrested at the Hajj terminal during the final screening of pilgrims before departure.
“He was arrested at the Hajj terminal while undergoing a final screening before their departure for the holy land today,” the source said.
The suspect is now being questioned and, according to the source, will be taken to court once the investigation is complete.
Confirming the arrest, a senior official of the Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Agency, Faruk Umar, said the suspect was not from Sokoto State but was among the Zamfara pilgrims.
“I also heard about the arrest, but I can comfortably tell you that the suspect is not a pilgrim from Sokoto but from Zamfara State,” Umar said.
He added, “Sokoto pilgrims are not travelling today. It’s only those from Zamfara that will move today. The next flight for Sokoto pilgrims is tomorrow, so definitely the arrested suspect is from Zamfara.”
Umar also confirmed that the DSS was carrying out security checks at the airport as part of the agreement between the state pilgrim boards and security agencies to ensure the safety of all pilgrims.
