The Ekiti State Police Command has dislodged and paraded a kidnapping cartel that has been terrorising the state for months.
The men of the state’s police wing of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), led by their Commander, CSP. Ogundola Marcus, on Friday, gunned down one of the suspects, arrested eight and rescued several victims in their hostages.
According to a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Sunday Abutu issued on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Mr Akinwale Adeniran, the operation began on February 8, 2024, when the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) received a tip-off about a planned abduction of expatriates in a Dairy Farmland, located in Ikun, Ekiti State.
The RRS swiftly moved to the location and arrested one of the gang members, Abubakar Aliyu, who was scouting the area for potential targets.
The police then traced the gang’s network and arrested two vigilante members, Saliu Ibrahim and Umaru Saliu, who were working for the kidnappers to secure Aliyu’s release.
The police also nabbed Mohammed Bashiru, a leader of the Miyetti Allah vigilante, in Oro-Ago town in Kwara state, who later confessed to being part of the kidnapping syndicate that was behind several abductions in the state.
The police operation continued to track down the remaining gang members in Owo, Ondo State, and Ibadan, Oyo State, where they arrested Yahaya Jubril, Usman Garba, and Kenneth Ugwu.
Ugwu admitted to being involved in the kidnapping of pupils, teachers, and a driver in Emure-Ekiti, who were later released after a ransom was paid.
However, the driver of the school bus conveying the pupils died in captivity due to torture.
The investigation also revealed that the syndicate was responsible for the kidnapping of Barrister Paul Omotosho, the APC Chairman, Ekiti State, along Agbado/Imesi, Ekiti road on 08/07/2023 and the kidnapping of Mr and Mrs Awoniyi along Ikere/Itaogbolu road in January this year.
The police finally stormed the gang’s hideout in Agric Reserved Forest, where they engaged in a gunfight with the kidnappers.
One of the gang members, Ayuba, was killed in the shootout, while another, Abubakar Mohammed, was captured.
,Some hostages who were held in a forest by the abductors, awaiting payment of ransom, were rescued by men of the Ekiti RRS.
The police recovered various items from the gang, including guns, bullets, phones, IDs, nose and face masks, among others.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Akinwale Adeniran, praised the police for their bravery and professionalism in cracking the case.
He also thanked the public for their cooperation and urged them to report any suspicious activities to the police.
Mr Adeniran vowed that the police would not relent in the efforts to ensure the security and peace of the state. The Ekiti state Commissioner of police warned that criminals would face the full wrath of the law if they dared to disturb the peace of the State further
