DSS captures suspected mastermind of ECWA church kidnap attack

 

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have taken into custody Shafiu Usman, who is alleged to have masterminded the December 14, 2015 assault on the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) in Aiyetoro, Kogi State, during which more than 20 worshippers were abducted.

Security sources revealed that Usman was apprehended at a hideout in Gombe State, where he had reportedly been in hiding. During questioning, he allegedly admitted to orchestrating the Ayetoro church attack along with several other kidnapping operations across Niger, Kwara and Kogi states.

According to the source, investigators were told that Usman allegedly worked in collaboration with Ibrahim Battijo, described as a notorious bandit active in Niger, Kwara, Kogi and Zamfara states.

“Shafiu admitted to involvement in kidnapping, banditry, and cattle rustling. He said Ibrahim Battijo supplied him with arms and ammunition,” the source stated.

“After the Kogi attack, Usman fled to Gombe where DSS operatives trailed him to, eventually arresting him,” stated the source, adding, “the suspect remains in DSS custody awaiting arraignment.

“This arrest underscores the DSS’s ongoing achievements in tackling banditry and terrorism in recent operations in Gombe and neighboring states. The Service neutralized arms trafficking networks, rescued kidnap victims, and dismantled cross-state syndicates,” he disclosed.

(AUTHORITY)