Daud Olatunji
Troops of the Nigerian Army, working in collaboration with operatives of the Department of State Services, have arrested a suspected kidnapper while allegedly collecting a ₦200,000 ransom from a female resident of Nasarawa State.
The suspect, identified as Mukaila Iliyasu, was reportedly arrested at Akwaba in Eggon Local Government Area of the state during an intelligence-led operation involving troops of Sector 2, Joint Task Force Operation Whirl Stroke, and DSS operatives.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the arrest followed intelligence reports that Iliyasu had allegedly threatened to abduct a woman if she failed to pay the sum of ₦200,000.
The Acting Media Information Officer of Operation Whirl Stroke, Lieutenant Ahmad Zubairu Zubairu, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, explaining that the DSS alerted the military to the alleged threat on October 29.
According to him, the security agencies immediately coordinated an operation to track down the suspect and prevent the planned abduction.
In a move to apprehend him, a soldier reportedly went undercover and posed as the person assigned to deliver the ransom.
The strategy paid off when Iliyasu was allegedly arrested while collecting the money, with the operatives recovering ₦200,000 believed to be the ransom demanded from the intended victim.
The military described the operation as a successful intelligence-driven intervention that prevented a possible kidnapping and demonstrated the importance of collaboration among security agencies in tackling criminal activities.
Following his arrest, the suspect was handed over to the DSS for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Reacting to the operation, the Force Commander of Operation Whirl Stroke and General Officer Commanding, 5 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Moses Kolo Gara, commended the troops and DSS operatives for their professionalism, courage and effective coordination.
Gara urged security personnel to sustain the tempo of joint operations and strengthen intelligence sharing to tackle kidnapping and other security threats across their areas of responsibility.
He stressed that effective inter-agency cooperation remained critical to protecting lives, securing communities and maintaining peace in the region.
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