Saudi Arabia arrests wife and mother of Nigeria’s wanted terrorist, in intel coordinated with Abuja
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Saudi Arabia has reportedly arrested two women believed to be the wife and mother of Ado Aliero, one of Nigeria’s most wanted terrorist leaders.
The women were nabbed in Medina, where they had allegedly been living under false identities. Sources familiar with the operation said the arrests were the result of a coordinated intelligence involving Saudi and Nigerian security agencies.
“This is a major step in dismantling the support network surrounding Ado Aliero,” a security source familiar with the investigation told ABC News.
“Their arrest may provide crucial intelligence about his movements, financial links, and transnational operations.”
Aliero has long been associated with a reign of terror across Zamfara and other parts of Nigeria’s North West, notorious for orchestrating mass abductions, killings, and armed raids.
His sustained evasion of capture has been tied to a vast support system that reportedly spans borders.
The Saudi authorities are yet to officially confirm the identities of the arrested women but Nigerian intelligence officers said both individuals are considered persons of significant interest in the ongoing probe into insurgent financing and logistics.
“This development introduces an international dimension to Nigeria’s security challenges,” said a counterterrorism analyst who declined to be named. “It raises new questions about the global footprints of these domestic terror cells.”
Nigerian security agencies are said to be working closely with their Saudi counterparts as the investigation deepens, with hopes that the intelligence gathered could lead to a decisive blow against Aliero’s network.
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