The Oyo State Police Command has paraded four suspected kidnappers allegedly involved in the abduction of two children in Lanlate, Ibarapa East Local Government Area, while also announcing the recovery of firearms linked to a suspected armed robbery syndicate in separate operations.
Addressing journalists at the Police Headquarters in Ibadan, the Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, said the children were rescued through a coordinated intelligence-led operation involving the police, the Amotekun Corps, local vigilantes and hunters.
According to the commissioner, armed hoodlums invaded Ebinpejo Village in Lanlate and abducted the children before security operatives tracked down the suspects.
Olugbenga disclosed that two of the suspects sustained gunshot wounds during an exchange of fire with security personnel, while two others, including an alleged local collaborator and another suspect from Kwara State, were later apprehended.
The police identified one of the suspects, Sunday Idowu, as the alleged mastermind of the kidnapping operation. The other suspects were identified as Umaru Usman, Abdullahi Ahmed and Muhammed Ibrahim Shina.
While being paraded before journalists, the suspects denied playing major roles in the crime and blamed one another for the incident.
Abdullahi Ahmed claimed he was invited by another suspect and insisted he had never participated in kidnapping before.
“This is the person who invited me from the village. I didn’t know him before, and I’ve never done this before. This gun belongs to the owner, and it is not working,” he said.
Sunday Idowu attributed his involvement to poor judgment, saying he should have alerted the police instead of assisting the suspects.
“It was illiteracy that put me into this problem. I should have reported them to the police because he had been disturbing me for a very long time. He gave me money to help him buy bullets. The gun has been in our house for a very long time. It belongs to my brother. I never knew they would use that gun for their operation. I only gave him the gun and walked away,” he stated.
Similarly, Umaru Usman denied initiating the crime, alleging that another suspect persuaded him to participate.
“It was Shina who called me, and I went to meet him. He was not telling the truth. I don’t understand what came over me. It was Shina and I who went to meet Abdullahi,” he said.
In a separate operation, the Commissioner of Police disclosed that officers tracking a wanted armed robbery kingpin in Lagos recovered a cache of firearms after the suspects fled the scene.
The recovered weapons include two Russian-made double-barrel guns, one Magnum pump-action rifle, one English revolver pistol and 36 live cartridges.
Olugbenga reaffirmed the command’s commitment to combating kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes across the state, assuring residents that intelligence-driven operations would continue.
He also urged members of the public to remain vigilant and support security agencies by providing timely and credible information that could assist in preventing criminal activities and enhancing public safety across Oyo State.