Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have reportedly arrested six suspected bandits— three women inclusive— at the Kaduna International Airport.
The suspects were apprehended shortly after their return from the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
An insider privy to the incident disclosed that the suspects were apprehended at approximately 3:40am on Tuesday by DSS operatives stationed at the airport.
The source told newsmen 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, DSS operatives arrested an alleged 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.