Breaking: DSS Captures Alleged Kingpin Of Kogi Church Abduction

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have apprehended Shafiu Usman, the alleged mastermind behind the deadly December 14, 2025 attack on ECWA Church in Ayetoro, Kogi State, in which over 20 worshippers were kidnapped.

Security sources who spoke with Daily Trust revealed that Usman was caught at a hideout in Gombe State, where he had reportedly been hiding since the incident.

According to the sources, Usman confessed during interrogation to orchestrating the Ayetoro church attack as well as other kidnapping operations across Niger, Kwara, and Kogi States. He also admitted involvement in banditry and cattle rustling.

“Shafiu admitted to participating in kidnapping, banditry, and cattle rustling. He also said Ibrahim Battijo supplied him with arms and ammunition,” a security official said.

The suspect reportedly disclosed that he collaborated with Ibrahim Dange Battijo, described as a bandit operating across Niger, Kwara, Kogi, and Zamfara States.

Sources added that following the Kogi attack, Usman fled to Gombe State in an attempt to evade capture.

“After the Kogi attack, Usman escaped to Gombe, but DSS operatives tracked and arrested him,” the source said.

Security officials noted that the arrest highlights the DSS’s ongoing efforts against banditry and terrorism.

“This arrest demonstrates the DSS’s continued success in combating banditry and terrorism, including recent operations in Gombe State that dismantled arms trafficking networks, rescued kidnapping victims, and disrupted cross-state criminal syndicates,” the source added.

At the time of reporting, the DSS had not yet released an official statement regarding the arrest.