A Nigerian civil society organisation has lauded the Department of State Services (DSS) following the arrest of suspected members of a criminal network accused of plotting high-profile kidnappings during the Eid El-Kabir festivities.
In a press release issued on 9 May 2025, the Centre for Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN) described the DSS’s actions as “a commendable display of vigilance and national security commitment.”
The group revealed that, based on credible intelligence, a weekend operation led by the DSS resulted in the capture of four senior figures within a known kidnap-for-ransom syndicate in Oron, Akwa Ibom State. The suspects were found in possession of military-grade weaponry, including two AK-47 rifles and multiple magazines.
The gang is allegedly responsible for a string of abductions and violent crimes across Nigeria’s oil-rich South-South zone, including the kidnapping of two Chinese engineers and a Nigerian worker in Cross River last year—a case which also saw a police escort killed.
According to CHRAN, the suspects had travelled into Akwa Ibom intending to kidnap top political figures attending a high-profile political defection event, coinciding with the Eid holiday. Governor Umo Eno’s switch from the PDP to the APC was among the events flagged as a target.
“The DSS’s intelligence-led operations prevented what could have been a politically and socially destabilising incident,” the statement read.
The organisation warned that the gang had historically focused on abducting foreign oil workers, wealthy individuals, and esteemed traditional leaders across multiple states.
CHRAN called for continued investment in intelligence gathering and covert security operations, noting that sustained efforts were vital to address sea piracy, kidnapping, and other forms of violent crime.
