DSS secures death sentence for kidnapper in Sokoto

The Department of State Services has secured a death sentence against a suspected kidnapper, Ibrahim Usman, also known as Dan Iyali, over his alleged involvement in the abduction and killing of three people in Sokoto State.

Usman was convicted by the High Court of Justice of Sokoto State sitting in the Sokoto Judicial Division after facing a four-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, culpable homicide punishable by death and voluntarily causing grievous hurt without provocation.

The charges relate to the kidnapping and killing of three persons in Sokoto in September 2023.

Usman was prosecuted alongside other suspects who remain at large.

The DSS announced the conviction in a statement, describing Usman as a notorious kidnapper involved in the crimes.

The latest conviction comes months after the security agency secured death sentences against three men, including a Nigerien national, over terrorism and arms proliferation-related offences in Sokoto State.

The three convicts — Yusuf Muhammad, also known as Sallau, a Nigerien national; Jabbi Alhaji Yalle; and Kabiru Muhammad — were sentenced to death by hanging by the Sokoto State High Court in June 2026.

They were convicted after their arrest by the DSS Counter Terrorism Unit in June 2025 over alleged cross-border criminal activities involving arms trafficking and terrorism.