Kwara: Police recover over N11m ransom fees, arrest kidnappers, others
By Muyideen Aliyu, Ilorin
The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed the recovery of over eleven million, three hundred and sixty-three thousand, five hundred naira only, suspected to be ransom fees from a previous kidnap operation by a gang of syndicate kidnappers in Share axis, Ifelodun Local Government Area of the State.
This was made known by the State Commissioner of Police, CP Adekimi Ojo, while briefing newsmen in Ilorin on Friday.
He stated that intelligence policing and community collaborations had led to the dismantling of some criminal syndicates across the state, including those involved in kidnapping, illegal possession of firearms, and drug trafficking.
Ojo said the breakthroughs were as a result of intensified intelligence-led policing and community collaborations. He said the operatives of the command, during a stop-and-search operation, saw a man, Sulaiman Jamiu, and Mini Mohammed on a motorcycle with a Bagco bag, but the unusual behaviour of the suspects raised concerns, hence the search on them.
Ojo explained that the ransom was part of a ₦20 million the kidnappers had demanded from the family of a victim previously kidnapped, pointing out that the suspects had been on the police wanted list since February this year for multiple kidnapping cases.
In one of the operations, he said, a patrol team arrested a suspect, Saheed Jimoh Adekeja, around the Federal Government College area, Ilorin. The suspect, caught with a locally fabricated pistol and suspected Indian hemp, claimed the firearm was given to him by one “Muritala” for use in guarding a farm in Awe Village. He added that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the accomplice and uncover the network behind illegal arms supply.
He noted that the command disrupted a suspicious gathering in an uncompleted building in Amoyo. Though the suspects fled, a locally made double-barrel pistol was recovered. Investigations later identified a known drug peddler, Olamide (alias "Bold"), as a key figure in the group, and he is currently being hunted by security forces.
The Commissioner stressed that the command also uncovered a disturbing case involving the abduction of a man, Dauda, in Okuta. The victim was rescued following a gun battle between police operatives and the kidnappers in a forested area. One of the gang leaders, Idirisu Sariki, was arrested and confessed to being part of a syndicate terrorising the communities in Baruten Local Government Area. An AK-47 rifle and a red Golf car suspected to have been used for operations were recovered.
Equally, he noted that three women — Aisha Haruna, Rabi Umaru, and Fatimoh Abubakar — were arrested at Babanla Motor Park with an AK-47 rifle and 31 rounds of live ammunition. The weapons were being transported to a suspected kidnapper named Saleh, operating out of Baba-Sango forest. One of the suspects reportedly intended to reunite with her husband, a known member of the kidnapping gang.
He said that one Mohammed Olaiya Dende, Mohammed Dende, and Somo Gida, who were charged in connection with coordinated kidnapping attacks on Oro community, were responsible for one of the operations that led to the death of a man, Olugbo Jamiu, at a cashew factory.
In the Gbugbu area of Lafiagi, the CP said, with the help of vigilantes, six suspects linked to a kidnapping ring led by a notorious criminal, Tambaya, who is at large, were arrested. The group reportedly kidnapped residents in border towns and provided operational support for ransom demands. Some firearms were recovered from their hideouts.
The police also apprehended Buba Lawal in Oko Community after local vigilantes raised an alarm. He was found with an AK-47 magazine containing eight live rounds. Investigations suggested that the suspect was en route to connect with other members of a kidnapping gang.
Ojo reassured the public of the command’s commitment to eradicating violent crime in Kwara. "Let these arrests send a strong message to criminal elements: That the state will never be a safe haven for your activities," he said.