By Nkechi Eze
Troops of Joint Task Force Operation WHIRL STROKE have arrested a suspected kidnapper during an intelligence-led operation in collaboration with operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), recovering ₦200,000 allegedly demanded as ransom from a female victim.
The suspect, identified as Mukaila Iliyasu, was arrested on October 29, 2026, following intelligence provided by DSS operatives concerning an alleged threat to abduct an adult female resident if she failed to pay the demanded sum of ₦200,000.
According to an official statement signed by Lieutenant Ahmad Zubairu Zubairu, Acting Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force Operation WHIRL STROKE, the DSS alerted troops of Sector 2 to the incident, prompting the immediate coordination of a joint anti-kidnapping operation to apprehend the suspect.
The statement disclosed that troops and DSS operatives subsequently executed a sting operation in which a soldier, acting in disguise, delivered the money to the suspect, leading to his arrest while receiving the alleged ransom.
It added that the suspect was immediately handed over to the DSS for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Commending the troops and DSS operatives for their professionalism, gallantry and effective inter-agency collaboration, the Force Commander, Joint Task Force Operation WHIRL STROKE and General Officer Commanding 5 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Moses Kolo Gara, urged them to sustain the existing intelligence-sharing framework and operational synergy.
Gara stressed the need to maintain the momentum of joint operations towards tackling kidnapping and other security threats within the Joint Operations Area.
