Saudi Arabian authorities have reportedly arrested two women believed to be the wife and mother of Ado Aliero, one of Nigeria’s most wanted bandit kingpins.

The women were apprehended 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-led effort involving both 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.”

Ado Aliero has long been associated with a reign of terror across Zamfara State and parts of the North-West region, 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.

While the Saudi authorities were yet to officially confirm the identities of the arrested women, 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 were 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.