Police arrest two foreigners over alleged kidnapping

By Muyideen Aliyu

The Kwara State Police Command has arrested two foreign nationals, Yakubu Ismaila and Hadiza Kosia, for alleged kidnapping and extortion.

According to the police, the operation followed a report received at the Okuta Police Division in the Baruten Local Government Area of the state from one S. Ismaila, who stated that he had received a series of threatening phone calls from an anonymous caller demanding twenty-two million naira (₦22,000,000.00) to avert his planned abduction.

In a statement by the State Police spokesperson, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the suspect further threatened to kidnap the complainant and murder his younger brother, Musa Ismaila, if they failed to meet the demands.

Upon receiving the report, police operatives activated intelligence-driven operational strategies. In collaboration with the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and leveraging technical support, operatives swiftly tracked and arrested the two suspects, who were identified as nationals of the Republic of Togo.

The police stated that a preliminary investigation revealed the suspects were directly linked to the criminal conspiracy, as both confessed to their involvement in the attempted kidnapping and extortion plot.

Meanwhile, a mobile phone used to make the calls was recovered from one of the suspects and taken into custody as a critical exhibit.

The State Commissioner of Police, CP Ojo Adekimi, commended the professionalism, prompt response, and coordinated efforts of the operatives whose swift action prevented what could have resulted in a serious security breach.

The Commissioner reaffirmed the Command’s unwavering commitment to intelligence-led policing and the relentless pursuit of all criminal elements operating within or attempting to infiltrate the state.

He further assured residents that investigations have been intensified to identify, apprehend, and bring other members of the criminal network to justice.

The Command urged members of the public to remain security conscious and continue providing timely, credible, and actionable information to the police, emphasizing that public cooperation remains indispensable to sustaining peace and security across the state.