A top source who spoke with Bellnews, disclosed that the suspects were apprehended at approximately 3:40am on Tuesday by DSS operatives stationed at the airport.
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have reportedly arrested six suspected bandits — three men and three women — at the Kaduna International Airport, shortly after their return from the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
A top source who spoke with Bellnews, disclosed that the suspects were apprehended at approximately 3:40am on Tuesday by DSS operatives stationed at the airport.
The source revealed that the suspects had just disembarked from a flight returning Nigerian pilgrims from Hajj when security personnel moved in on them.
The identities of the suspects remain unclear as of the time of filing this report.
However, a top security source hinted that intelligence reports had linked the individuals to banditry activities in the Northern region of the country.
The source said, “Today, at 3:40 a.m, operatives of DSS arrested 6 suspected bandits, 3 men and 3 women, at the Kaduna Airport upon their return from Hajj.”
On May 19, 2025, Bellnews reported that the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested an alleged kidnap kingpin, Sani Galadi, at the Sultan Abubakar International Airport in Sokoto as he attempted to board a flight to Saudi Arabia for the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage.
Galadi was apprehended at the Hajj terminal during a routine screening exercise ahead of his departure.
“He was arrested at the Hajj terminal while undergoing a final screening before their departure for the holy land today,” a source disclosed.
“He is currently under investigation and will be charged to court upon the completion of interrogation.”
A top official of the Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Agency, Faruk Umar, also confirmed the arrest, clarifying that the suspect was not part of the Sokoto pilgrims.
“I also heard about the arrest, but I can comfortably tell you that the suspect is not a pilgrim from Sokoto but from Zamfara State,” he said.
“Sokoto pilgrims are not travelling today, it’s only those from Zamfara that will move today, the next flight for Sokoto is tomorrow, so definitely the arrested suspect is from Zamfara and not Sokoto.”
Umar had explained that the DSS screening was part of a broader agreement with state pilgrim agencies to ensure a secure environment for the Hajj operations.