Abuja -The Department of State Services (DSS), said it arrested a suspect, Bello Danhajia, a close associate and presumed second in command of the suspected mastermind of the UN House bombing, Khalid Al-Barnawi.
NAN reports that Al-Barnawi was arrested by the Service on April 1 in Lokoja, Kogi , while hiding under a false cover.
Showing the suspect to newsmen, Mr Abdulalhai Garba, an official of the service said preliminary investigations have linked him with gun-running, cattle rustling and other criminal activities.
He said prosecution will commence once investigation was concluded.
Garba said that Al-Barnawi was known for recruiting young people into the Ansaru and Boko Haram terrorist groups.
“With the arrest of Al-Barnawi, the DSS has made an uncommon success in the decimation of these groups and their leadership’’, he said.
In another development, the DSS said it also arrested four suspects who specialised in defrauding innocent Nigerians by impersonating government officials.
Garba said that one of the suspects, Aminu Ado, was arrested on March 24 in Keffi, Nasarawa State and confessed to defrauding retired Lt-Gen. T.Y. Danjuma of one million naira in 2015.
He said that the suspect also defrauded the wife of Akwa Ibom Governor of N300,000 in collaboration with one Hajia Aisha.
Garba said that Ado also confessed to defrauding members of the public claiming to be the Chief Security Officer to the president.
“Further investigation revealed that Ado has the mobile phone numbers of all the Federal Executive Council members, some state governors, their wives and aides as well as those of prominent Nigerians and military/police officers’’, he said.
Others arrested for defrauding members of the public are David Michika, from Adamawa, Umar Hamza from Kano state, James Akune, from Benue and Kazeem Usman, from Lagos.
Garba said that the suspects opened and operated bank accounts through which they collected various sums of money from their victims.
He advised the public to be vigilant and report such suspicious persons to the appropriate security agencies.
“ This service wishes to re-emphasise its commitment to the safety of all law abiding citizens and residents’’, he said.
He reassured the service’s resolve to continue to decisively deal with those who have chosen to be on the wrong side of the law.
