Security
DSS Apprehends Mastermind of Deadly 2025 Ayetoro ECWA Church Attack
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested Shafiu Usman, the alleged mastermind behind the deadly attack on ECWA Church in Ayetoro, Kogi State, where over 20 worshippers were kidnapped on December 14, 2025.
Security sources disclosed that Usman was nabbed at a hideout in Gombe State, where he had been lying low. During interrogation, he confessed to orchestrating the Ayetoro church attack, as well as other kidnappings in Niger, Kwara, and Kogi States.
Usman revealed that he collaborated with Ibrahim Dange Battijo, a notorious bandit operating across Niger, Kwara, Kogi, and Zamfara States.
“Shafiu admitted to involvement in kidnapping, banditry, and cattle rustling. He said Ibrahim Battijo supplied him with arms and ammunition,” the source quoted.
“After the Kogi attack, Usman fled to Gombe, but DSS operatives trailed and arrested him.”
“This arrest underscores the DSS’s ongoing achievements in tackling banditry and terrorism, including recent operations in Gombe State that neutralized arms trafficking networks, rescued kidnap victims, and dismantled cross-state syndicates”
The suspect remains in DSS custody awaiting arraignment.
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has convened an emergency security meeting following renewed bandit attacks and credible reports of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted along major highways in the state.
The high-level meeting, held on Friday at the Government House in Gusau, brought together heads of security agencies and key stakeholders to assess the deteriorating security situation and chart a coordinated response.
In a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, the emergency session was prompted by alarming security developments, particularly intelligence indicating the placement of IEDs on certain routes.
Governor Lawal directed security chiefs to urgently review the state’s security architecture and develop a clear, strategic operational framework aimed at curbing the growing threats. He emphasized the need for heightened vigilance, stronger intelligence gathering, and immediate coordinated countermeasures.
According to the statement, the meeting underscored the shared responsibility between the state government and security agencies in safeguarding lives and property across Zamfara.
The governor also urged security operatives to stay ahead of criminal elements, deny them operational freedom, and decisively neutralise emerging threats before they escalate further.
Governor Lawal extended his condolences to security personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty and commended their sacrifices. He equally sympathised with families and communities affected by the attacks, assuring them of continued government support.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to providing logistical, operational, and institutional backing to security agencies to strengthen their effectiveness in combating insecurity in the state.
A female officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has died following an accident during a “show of force” exercise in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The tragic incident, which occurred on Saturday, was captured in a 58-second video that has since gone viral on social media.
In the footage, two operational vans belonging to the Corps’ Female Strike Force, also known as the Female Squad, were seen moving in formation. During a manoeuvre, the lead van reportedly ran over the officer, trapping her beneath the vehicle.
The video further showed fellow NSCDC personnel and bystanders scrambling to lift the van in an attempt to rescue the officer before she was rushed into a waiting ambulance.
Although the Corps is yet to release an official statement, NSCDC spokesperson, Afolabi Babawale, confirmed the fatality in a telephone conversation with TheCable.
The identity of the deceased officer has not been made public as of the time of filing this report. Babawale said a comprehensive statement would be issued to clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The development has sparked concerns about safety protocols during operational drills and is expected to trigger an internal review within the NSCDC.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reappointed Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi as the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for a fresh five-year term.
The reappointment took effect from Friday, February 27, 2026.
Dr Audi was first appointed to the position in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari. His initial five-year tenure ended last Friday as he participated in activities marking the 2026 World Civil Defence Day at the NSCDC National Headquarters in Abuja.
He is expected to resume duties on Monday with a renewed mandate.
President Tinubu charged the NSCDC boss to reposition the Corps to play a more significant role in the nation’s security architecture, particularly as the police refocus on their primary responsibility of protecting citizens from banditry, kidnapping and terrorism.
Born on September 30, 1967, in Laminga Town, Nasarawa Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, Dr Audi had his early education in the state before proceeding to Teachers’ College, Jengre, Plateau State, where he obtained a Teachers’ Grade II Certificate in 1987.
He later attended the College of Education, Akwanga, earning a Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) in 1992. He proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Physical and Health Education in 1995.
In 2001, he obtained a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Calabar. He subsequently earned a PhD in Public Administration from Nasarawa State University in 2014, and a Master’s in Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice (MLCJ) from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 2019.
Dr Audi joined the NSCDC in November 1996 as a volunteer and, after completing his basic officer training in 1997, was deployed as a Divisional Officer in Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
He served in various state commands and, in 2007, was promoted to the rank of Commandant of the Corps and deployed to the Office of the Commandant-General at the National Headquarters in Abuja.