DSS explains why Sultan was arrested in Kaduna
yarkarkara
The Department of State Services, DSS, says the arrest of a Kaduna-based social media activist, Abubakar Muhammad, popularly known as Sultan, followed a formal complaint that he allegedly used phishing social media accounts to harass and extort a citizen.
According to the DSS Kaduna Command, Sultan was arrested on September 27, 2025, at Layin Dan-Masani, Rigachikun, in Igabi Local Government Area.
It said investigation revealed that the suspect allegedly created fake accounts with the handles @OZugwai40986 on X (formerly Twitter) and @Zugwai75 on Instagram, which he used to threaten the complainant and demand payment through a crypto wallet and a Point of Sales (POS) account.
The complainant, who feared for his life and that of his family, also accused Sultan of using other catfish accounts to lure him to an undisclosed location, raising suspicion of a kidnap attempt.
Sultan, it was gathered, deleted the accounts when he realised the DSS was closing in on him, but cyber experts of the Service were able to recover them from his phone.
“Investigators found digital footprints, payment evidence and conversations linking him directly to the alleged cybercrime, which will be presented in court,” a source in the DSS said.
The Command denied any political undertone in the arrest, saying the Service was only concerned with safeguarding ordinary citizens from online criminals.
It explained that it was purely a cybercrime case, pointing out that the Service is interested in protecting citizens, not politics.
Sultan’s arrest has sparked a wave of reactions on social media, with some of his supporters claiming political persecution, while others backed the DSS, stressing that evidence must be tested in court.
It was gathered that arrangements were ongoing to arraign the suspect before a competent court on charges of cybercrime, extortion and threats to life.
