Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested three more suspects allegedly linked to the kidnapping of a professor of Nasarawa State University, Professor Samuel Avengbe Okunsebor.
The suspects were reportedly arrested on Friday night at a local brothel along the Mararaban Akunza axis of the Lafia-Makurdi highway in Nasarawa State.
Professor Okunsebor, the Dean of Agriculture at Nasarawa State University, was abducted by gunmen in the early hours of Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at Mile Uku, a border community between Lafia and Nasarawa-Eggon Local Government Areas.
He was rescued by DSS operatives two days after his abduction. Two suspects, including a woman, were also arrested during the initial operation.
A security source, who disclosed the latest arrests, said the three suspects were identified as 25-year-old Yakubu Abubakar, also known as Black/Starboy; 37-year-old Usman Abubakar Mairiga; and 27-year-old Sale Babauro Abubakar.
The source said Yakubu Abubakar is from the Doemak community in Plateau State, while Mairiga and Sale Babauro Abubakar are Hausa and Fulani respectively.
According to the source, the suspects are currently being held at the DSS State Command for further investigation.
The source added that their continued detention followed a valid detention warrant obtained from a magistrate’s court.
The latest arrests bring to five the number of suspects reportedly apprehended in connection with the abduction, although investigations into the incident are still ongoing.
Security agencies have intensified efforts to identify and apprehend other members of the suspected kidnapping network.
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