Authorities in Saudi Arabia have reportedly arrested two women identified as the wife and mother of Ado Aliero, one of Nigeria’s most wanted bandit leaders.
The women were detained in the city of Medina, where they had allegedly been living under false identities. According to sources familiar with the operation, the arrests followed a coordinated, intelligence-led effort between Nigerian and Saudi security agencies.
“This is a major step in dismantling the support network surrounding Ado Aliero,” a security source familiar with the investigation told reporters. “Their arrest may provide crucial intelligence about his movements, financial links, and transnational operations.”
Ado Aliero is widely known for his role in a series of violent crimes across Zamfara State and the wider North-West region of Nigeria. He is accused of masterminding mass abductions, killings, and raids on rural communities. His ability to evade capture for years has often been attributed to an extensive support network operating within and beyond Nigeria’s borders.
Though Saudi authorities have not yet officially confirmed the identities of the detained women, Nigerian intelligence officials described both as “persons of significant interest” in the ongoing investigation into insurgent financing and logistics.
“This development introduces an international dimension to Nigeria’s security challenges,” said a counterterrorism analyst who requested anonymity. “It raises new questions about the global footprints of these domestic terror cells.”
Nigerian security agencies are now said to be working closely with Saudi counterparts as investigations progress, with officials hopeful that insights from the arrests could lead to a significant breakthrough in efforts to dismantle Aliero’s criminal network.
In July 2022, Governor Bello Mohammed Mutawalle ordered the immediate suspension of the Emir of Birnin Yandoto in Tsafe Local Government Area, Aliyu Garba Marafa.
Marafa was suspended for turbaning the notorious terrorist kingpin, Aliero, who has been on the police wanted list, as Sarkin Fulani (the Chief of Fulani) of Yandoton Daji emirate.
