Ogun Police rescue seven kidnap victims, neutralise three suspects, arrest 38
By Imisioluwa Afunmiso
The Ogun State Police Command has rescued seven kidnapped victims, neutralised three suspected kidnappers and arrested 38 suspects in separate operations across the state.
The command also recovered firearms, 75 rounds of live ammunition, vehicles, motorcycles, stolen property and other exhibits during the operations, according to a statement issued on Monday by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi B. Babasiyi.
The police said the operations were carried out through intelligence-led policing and collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Army and other security agencies.
According to the command, the seven victims were abducted on July 29, 2026, at about 7:40pm along Paraga Street, Ipara, Ogun State.
Following the incident, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit commenced intelligence gathering and surveillance aimed at locating the victims and apprehending their abductors.
The operation received aerial support on August 3 after the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, for the deployment of a police helicopter.
The police said the combination of intelligence sharing, aerial surveillance and coordinated ground operations subsequently led to the location and rescue of the seven victims.
The rescued victims were taken to the Police Hospital for medical attention, while one victim who sustained a gunshot injury was treated.
However, the police continued the operation to track members of the gang who fled after the victims were rescued.
The command said that at about 2:00am on August 6, anti-kidnapping operatives, supported by DSS personnel, stormed the suspected kidnappers’ hideout along the Sagamu-Abeokuta Expressway.
The suspects allegedly engaged the security operatives in a gun battle, during which three suspected kidnappers were neutralised, while other members of the gang escaped with suspected gunshot injuries.
Recovered from the hideout were one AK-47 rifle, an empty magazine, four mobile phones and N2.3 million cash.
The command said the bodies of the three suspects were deposited at the State Hospital Morgue, Ijaiye, Abeokuta, for autopsy, while efforts were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the gang.
In a separate operation, the Itele Division arrested a suspected armed robber following a distress call from a commercial motorcyclist who alleged that two passengers attempted to rob him at gunpoint.
The suspect, identified as Babatunde Olasunkanmi, was arrested on August 3 after allegedly pointing a locally fabricated cut-to-size double-barrel pistol at the motorcyclist along Orji Block Area, Itele.
The suspect’s accomplice reportedly fled with the victim’s red Bajaj motorcycle.
Police recovered the firearm, criminal charms, a Tecno Android phone and a UBA ATM card from the suspect.
Meanwhile, the Atan-Ota Division arrested 23 foreign nationals during a raid on a gated residential building within an estate off Iyana Iyesi, Onipanu-Ota, over an alleged Ponzi scheme, visa scam and other immigration-related offences.
The suspects were arrested on August 4 following intelligence received by the police. One Malian international passport bearing the name Diakite Alfousseini was also recovered.
The command said 21 of the suspects were handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service on August 5 for further investigation, while two were retained by the police for alleged obtaining by false pretence and related offences.
In another development, detectives attached to the Obantoko Division arrested a suspected serial fraudster and fake clergyman, Kehinde Makinde, popularly known as “Pastor Kenny”, in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The police said his arrest followed four months of intelligence gathering and investigation into allegations that he defrauded victims in Ogun, Oyo and Osun states under the guise of spiritual deliverance.
Preliminary investigation reportedly showed that the suspect allegedly collected about N2.5 million from 18 fellowship members in Saje, Adatan, after promising to organise a government-sponsored pilgrimage to Jerusalem and give each member N2 million.
The police said efforts were ongoing to identify more victims and apprehend his alleged accomplices.
Similarly, the Sakura Division recovered an English submachine gun and 75 rounds of live ammunition from a damaged wardrobe in a rented apartment previously occupied by a deceased landlord.
The firearm and ammunition were discovered on August 5 while the apartment was being cleared.
The exhibits have been secured for ballistic examination as police investigate how they were concealed in the apartment.
At Idi Oke, 12 suspected cultists were arrested following a police operation at Harodous Hotel, Lattykay, Igbesa, where suspected cult members were allegedly harassing and extorting patrons.
Police recovered assorted charms, battle axes, knives, cult paraphernalia, eight motorcycles, a black Lexus vehicle and an unregistered red Toyota Camry.
The Owode-Egba Division also recovered a white Toyota Hilux allegedly stolen from its owner’s residence four days earlier and arrested a 31-year-old man, Samuel Adetunji, over the alleged theft of a commercial tricycle entrusted to him.
The stolen tricycle was recovered at Rounder, Abeokuta.
In Sagamu, police operatives recovered an abandoned red Bajaj motorcycle near a mechanic workshop at Trailer Park, Kara, Sabo-Sagamu, on August 5.
The command said efforts were ongoing to identify the owner and establish the circumstances surrounding the abandonment.
The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, CP Bode Ojajuni, commended Governor Abiodun for his support and intervention, particularly his request for aerial support which contributed to the rescue operation.
Ojajuni also commended officers of the command, the DSS, Nigerian Army and other security agencies for their collaboration and urged residents to remain vigilant and provide credible information to the police.
He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to intelligence-led policing, rapid response, strategic patrols and inter-agency collaboration to disrupt criminal activities and protect lives and property across the state.