Three women caught smuggling arms to kidnappers in Kwara

...AK-47 rifle, live ammunition recovered from intercepted vehicle

The Kwara State Police Command has arrested three women accused of attempting to transport arms and ammunition to a group of kidnappers operating from a forested hideout in the state.

The suspects ,  Aisha Haruna, Rabi Umaru, and Fatimoh Abubakar ,  were apprehended at Babanla Motor Park following actionable intelligence, according to the state’s Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo.

The arrests followed the interception of a suspicious vehicle by officers. One of the passengers, believed to be the wife of a suspected kidnapper, fled into nearby bushland upon sighting the police.

A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of an AK-47 rifle and 31 rounds of live ammunition concealed inside a bag owned by one of the suspects.

During preliminary questioning, one of the women confessed that she had received the firearm from a contact in Kaduna State, identified only as ‘Mai-Gowaye’. She was reportedly instructed to deliver it to a man known as ‘Saleh’, said to be based in the Baba-Sango forest ,  an area believed to be a hub for kidnap-for-ransom operations.

Another suspect admitted she was travelling to meet her husband, whom the police have identified as a member of the kidnapping gang operating from the same forest.

The woman who fled at the point of arrest remains at large, as the police continue surveillance operations around the Baba-Sango axis to dismantle the wider criminal network.

In a separate incident, officers arrested two men ,  Suleiman Jamiu and Mumini Mohammed ,  in Share, Ifelodun Local Government Area, in possession of ₦11.3 million believed to be proceeds from ransom payments.

Commissioner Ojo gave assurances that the command remains committed to cracking down on individuals who support or participate in criminal activities across Kwara State.