Troops of the Nigerian Army and operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested a suspected kidnapper while he was collecting ransom from a woman in Nasarawa State.
The suspect, Mukaila Iliyasu, was arrested during a joint operation by troops of Sector 2, Joint Task Force Operation Whirl Stroke, and DSS personnel.
The arrest followed reports that Iliyasu had threatened to abduct the woman unless she paid ₦200,000.
Lieutenant Ahmad Zubairu, acting media information officer for Operation Whirl Stroke, confirmed the arrest in a statement.
The statement said the DSS alerted the military to the threat on October 29. A soldier then went undercover, posing as the person who would deliver the ransom.
Iliyasu was arrested while collecting the money. Security operatives recovered the ₦200,000 demanded from the woman.
The task force said the operation prevented a planned abduction. Iliyasu was handed over to the DSS for further investigation.
Major General Moses Kolo Gara, force commander of Operation Whirl Stroke, commended the troops and DSS operatives for their coordination. He urged security agencies to continue sharing intelligence and working together to tackle kidnapping and other threats.
