DSS arrests alleged kidnap kingpin linked to Kogi church attack

By Deborah Nnamdi

Operatives of the Department of State Services have arrested Shafiu Usman, an alleged mastermind of multiple kidnapping operations across Kogi, Niger, Kwara, and Zamfara states.

Security sources disclosed that Usman was apprehended at a hideout in Gombe State, where he had reportedly gone into hiding following the December 14, 2025 attack on the Evangelical Church Winning All Church in Ayetoro, Kogi State.

Armed men riding motorcycles had stormed the Ayetoro-Kiri community in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State on the day of the incident, abducting at least 30 residents, mostly children and elderly worshippers, from churches and homes.

A senior DSS officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Usman confessed during interrogation to orchestrating the Ayetoro church attack and other kidnapping operations in Niger, Kwara, and Kogi states.

According to the source, the suspect worked in collaboration with Ibrahim Battijo, described as a notorious bandit operating across Niger, Kwara, Kogi, and Zamfara states.

“Usman was nabbed at a hideout in Gombe State, where he had been lying low. After the Kogi attack, he fled to Gombe, but DSS operatives trailed and arrested him,” the officer said.

The officer added that the arrest highlights the agency’s ongoing efforts to combat banditry and terrorism, including recent operations in Gombe State that dismantled arms trafficking networks, rescued kidnap victims, and disrupted cross-state criminal syndicates.

Usman remains in DSS custody and is expected to be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations.