Suspected Kidnap Kingpin Sani Galadi Arrested By DSS At Sokoto Airport While Boarding for Hajj Pilgrimage 

By: Israel Adeleke 

The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested an alleged kidnap kingpin, Sani Galadi, at the Sultan Abubakar International Airport in Sokoto as he attempted to board a flight to Saudi Arabia for the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage.

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports as gathered that Galadi was apprehended at the Hajj terminal during a routine screening exercise ahead of his departure.

A top official of the Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Agency, Faruk Umar, also confirmed the arrest but clarified that the suspect was not part of the Sokoto pilgrims. 

However, inside sources revealed that he was arrested at the Hajj terminal while undergoing a final screening before their departure for the holy land

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

A top official of the Sokoto State Pilgrims Welfare Agency, Faruk Umar, also confirmed the arrest, clarifying that the suspect was not part of the Sokoto pilgrims. 

“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,” he said.  

“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.” 

Umar explained that the DSS screening is part of a broader agreement with state pilgrim agencies to ensure a secure environment for the Hajj operations.