Troops Arrest Suspected Kidnapper In Joint Operation, Recover ₦200,000 Ransom

Troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation WHIRL STROKE, have arrested a suspected kidnapper during a joint intelligence-led operation with operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), recovering ₦200,000 allegedly demanded from a victim as ransom.

The suspect, identified as Mukaila Iliyasu, was arrested on October 29, 2026, after allegedly threatening to abduct an adult female resident if she failed to pay the demanded sum.

According to a statement by the Acting Media Information Officer, Headquarters of the Joint Task Force, Lieutenant Ahmad Zubairu Zubairu, DSS operatives alerted troops of Sector 2 to the incident, prompting a coordinated anti-kidnapping operation.

The operation involved a sting arrangement in which a soldier, acting undercover, delivered the demanded ₦200,000 to the suspect.

The suspect was subsequently arrested while receiving the money and handed over to the DSS for further investigation and possible prosecution.

The Force Commander of Operation WHIRL STROKE and General Officer Commanding, 5 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Moses Kolo Gara, commended the troops and DSS operatives for their professionalism, gallantry and effective collaboration.

Gara urged security personnel to sustain intelligence sharing and operational cooperation to tackle kidnapping and other security threats within the Joint Operations Area.

The military said the operation demonstrated the importance of inter-agency collaboration in preventing kidnapping and responding to security threats.