The police have apprehended a suspected bandit kingpin linked with a Catholic church attack and the killing of a seminarian Stephen Naaman in the Zangon Kataf area of Kaduna State.
The Kaduna State Police Command claims it has apprehended the suspected mastermind of the September fire of Saint Raphael’s Catholic Church in Fadan Kamanta, which killed a seminarian.
According to Mansir Hassan, spokesman for the Kaduna Police Command, police operatives detained suspect Yakubu Saidu on Thursday in Zangon Urban.
According to the authorities, the suspect has also confessed to his role in the attack and killing of the seminarian, and one of his gang members, from Fadan Kamanta, aided the assault and is now on the run.
His arrest comes almost seven months after bandits stormed the church’s rectory and killed Stephen. They also set fire to the parish house following a failed attempt to kidnap two priests who worked there.
Kaduna is one of the most heavily bandit-infested states in the country, with attacks on religious sites and public areas in recent years.
In 2022, they assaulted the Kaduna-Abuja railway, killing some and injured others.