DSS Arrests Six Suspected Bandits at Kaduna Airport Upon Return from Hajj

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested six suspected bandits—three men and three women—at Kaduna International Airport shortly after their return from the Islamic pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

According to a source who spoke to Nigeria News 247, the arrests occurred around 3:40 a.m. on Tuesday when the suspects disembarked from a flight carrying Nigerian pilgrims. Although their identities remain undisclosed, intelligence reports have linked them to banditry activities in Northern Nigeria.

A security insider confirmed, “Today, at 3:40 a.m., DSS operatives arrested six suspected bandits at Kaduna Airport upon their return from Hajj.”

This arrest follows a similar high-profile case on May 19, 2025, when the DSS apprehended alleged kidnap kingpin Sani Galadi at Sultan Abubakar International Airport, Sokoto, during routine Hajj screening. Galadi was stopped as he attempted to board a flight to Saudi Arabia and is currently under investigation.

Faruk Umar, a Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Agency official, clarified that Galadi was not part of the Sokoto pilgrimage group but hails from Zamfara State. He also emphasized that the DSS screening was part of a collaborative security measure with state pilgrim agencies to safeguard Hajj operations.