Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested three additional suspects allegedly linked to the kidnapping of Professor Samuel Avengbe Okunsebor, Dean of Agriculture at Nasarawa State University.
The latest arrests were reportedly made on Friday night at a local brothel along the Mararaban Akunza section of the Lafia–Makurdi highway, according to a security source.
Professor Okunsebor was abducted by armed men in the early hours of Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at Mile Uku, a border community between Lafia and Nasarawa-Eggon Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State.
DSS operatives rescued the university don two days after his abduction. During the rescue operation, the agency also arrested two suspects, including a woman, who were allegedly connected to the kidnapping.
The latest operation has led to the arrest of three more suspected members of the gang.
The suspects were identified as 25-year-old Yakubu Abubakar, also known as Black or Starboy, from the Doemak community in Plateau State; 37-year-old Usman Abubakar Mairiga; and 27-year-old Sale Babauro Abubakar.
According to the source, Mairiga is Hausa, while Sale Abubakar is Fulani.
The three suspects are currently being held by the DSS State Command as investigations continue. The source said their detention followed the issuance of a valid detention warrant by a magistrate’s court.
The arrests are part of ongoing efforts by security operatives to identify and apprehend other individuals allegedly involved in the kidnapping operation.
