Commander of the Force Intelligence Department–Special Tactical Squad (FID-STS), ACP Victor Ogbeide Godfrey, has revealed how months of intelligence gathering and surveillance led to the arrest of a notorious suspected kidnap kingpin, Usman Muhammed Lawani, popularly known as Yellow Lawani, alongside his brother, Abubakar Usman.
Godfrey made the disclosure during an interview on Arise News, on Monday, 22 June, 2026, while explaining the operation that culminated in the arrest of the suspects. He said the successful operation was the result of painstaking intelligence-driven policing aimed at dismantling kidnapping networks operating across several states in northern and central Nigeria.
Speaking on the arrest, the senior police officer said the suspect had allegedly built a strong criminal network across multiple states before his eventual capture. “He held sway in Zamfara, Niger and he kidnap along Abuja and Kogi. We have an intelligence and we have been monitoring him for the past 6 months and we know that he has so many arms and ammunitions and he has boys,” Godfrey said.
According to the FID-STS commander, security operatives deliberately monitored the suspect over an extended period to understand his movements, operational methods and the structure of his criminal gang before moving in to make the arrest.
He noted that intelligence reports indicated that the suspect possessed a large cache of arms and ammunition and commanded several armed associates, making the operation highly sensitive and requiring careful planning.
