The Department of State Services has arrested another kidnapping kingpin, Sani Aliyu Galadi, at Sultan Abubakar International Airport en-route to Saudi Arabia for Hajj.

A source who spoke on the condition of anonymity confirmed that the suspect was traced and arrested at the Hajj terminal during screening.

He said, “He was arrested at the Hajj terminal while undergoing a final screening before their departure for the holy land today.

“He is currently under investigation and will be charged to court upon the completion of interrogation”

Also confirming the development, a top official in the Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Agency, Faruk Umar, said the suspect was from Zamfara pilgrims and not Sokoto.

He said based on the arrangements on ground, only pilgrims from Zamfara are at the Airport for the trip to Saudi Arabia for Hajj today.

“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.

“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”

He also confirmed that the routine screening exercise by the DSS as part of the agreement reached between States pilgrim agency and the security agency to ensure safety environment.

It will be recalled that a suspected kidnapper, Yahaya Yakubu who lives in Paikon – Kore village in Gwagwalada area council of the Federal Capital Territory, was nabbed at the Abuja Hajj camp on Sunday.

According to the security sources, Messrs Yakubu and Aliyu (alias Mai Boxer), who is suspected to be responsible for attacks by bandits in the Sokoto- Zamfara axis, were not aware of being on the wanted list of the DSS.

The source added that Mr Aliyu has been flown from Sokoto to the SSS headquarters in Abuja while both suspects are currently detained for investigations.

The SSS had also last year arrested one Abubakar Aliyu, a suspected bandit and kidnapper terrorising Zamfara State and its environ, as he made to depart for Saudi Arabia for hajj.