BY TAIBAT UMMI YAKUBU 

Troops of the Nigerian Army, working alongside operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), have arrested a suspected kidnapper while attempting to collect a ₦200,000 ransom from a woman in Nasarawa State.

The suspect, identified as Mukaila Iliyasu, was apprehended at Akwaba in Eggon Local Government Area following a joint intelligence-led operation aimed at preventing an alleged planned abduction.

According to security authorities, Iliyasu had threatened to kidnap the female resident unless she paid him ₦200,000. The DSS reportedly received information about the threat on October 29 and immediately alerted troops of Sector 2, Joint Task Force Operation Whirl Stroke, prompting a coordinated effort to track down the suspect.

In a move that helped secure his arrest, a military operative reportedly went undercover and posed as the person assigned to deliver the demanded ransom.

The operation paid off when Iliyasu was caught in the act of collecting the money. Security personnel subsequently recovered ₦200,000, believed to be the ransom he had demanded from the woman.

The Acting Media Information Officer of Operation Whirl Stroke, Lieutenant Ahmad Zubairu Zubairu, confirmed the arrest in a statement, describing the operation as a successful intervention that prevented a possible kidnapping.

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He noted that the development demonstrated the importance of intelligence gathering and effective collaboration among security agencies in confronting criminal activities.

Following his arrest, the suspect was handed over to the DSS for further investigation and possible prosecution.

Meanwhile, the Force Commander of Operation Whirl Stroke and General Officer Commanding 5 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Moses Kolo Gara, commended the military personnel and DSS operatives for their professionalism, courage and effective coordination.

Gara urged security agencies to maintain the level of cooperation that led to the arrest, particularly through improved intelligence sharing and joint operations.

He stressed that stronger collaboration among security institutions remains essential to tackling kidnapping and other criminal activities, protecting vulnerable residents and restoring lasting peace across communities within the region.