The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Shafiu Usman, the alleged mastermind behind the December 14, 2025, attack on the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) in Aiyetoro, Kogi State, where over 20 worshippers were kidnapped.
Usman was apprehended at a hideout in Gombe State, where he had been hiding.
During interrogation, Usman allegedly confessed to orchestrating the Ayetoro church attack and other kidnappings in Niger, Kwara, and Kogi States.
He reportedly collaborated with Ibrahim Dange Battijo, a notorious bandit operating across Niger, Kwara, Kogi, and Zamfara States, who supplied him with arms and ammunition.
Meanwhile, the secret police sees this arrest as a significant breakthrough in tackling banditry and terrorism, highlighting recent operations in Gombe State that neutralized arms trafficking networks, rescued kidnap victims, and dismantled cross-state syndicates.
