Operatives from the Department of State Services (DSS) have successfully detained Shafiu Usman, the presumed mastermind behind the brutal assault on the ECWA Church located in Ayetoro, Kogi State, which resulted in the abduction of more than 20 congregants on December 14, 2025.
According to security sources, Usman was caught at a secluded area in Gombe State, where he had been evading capture.
During his questioning, he allegedly confessed to masterminding the Ayetoro church attack as well as several other kidnappings that occurred in Niger, Kwara, and Kogi States.
Further investigations revealed that he worked alongside Ibrahim Dange Battijo, a known bandit operating across the states of Niger, Kwara, Kogi, and Zamfara.
The source indicated, "Shafiu acknowledged his participation in various acts of kidnapping, banditry, and cattle rustling, claiming that Ibrahim Battijo had supplied him with firearms and ammunition."
After the attack in Kogi, it is reported that Usman fled to Gombe to avoid detention, but DSS operatives pursued him and successfully apprehended him.
The arrest marks a significant achievement for the DSS in their efforts to combat banditry and terrorism in the region, following recent actions in Gombe State that have dismantled arms trafficking rings, rescued victims of kidnappings, and broken up multi-state criminal syndicates.
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