Operatives of the Ondo State Police Command, at the weekend, rescued a middle-aged man, Semiu Ogunniyi, from the den of kidnappers a few days after his abduction in Ikare-Akoko, headquarters of the Akoko North-East Local Council Area of the state.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Wilfred Afolabi, who disclosed this, revealed that one of the suspected kidnappers involved in the abduction of Ogunniyi, Muhammed Babuga, was arrested in the course of the rescue operation, which also involved local hunters in the community.

According to Afolabi, the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of ₦14 million for the release of the victim from captivity, after which the movement of the suspects was trailed through actionable intelligence.

The police boss disclosed that during the interception, the suspects engaged the operatives in a fierce gun duel, with several suspects sustaining gunshot injuries during the exchange of gunfire.

While speaking with newsmen at the headquarters of the state police command, Afolabi added that two suspected kidnappers, Ibrahim Umar, 25, and Paul Osanyinduro, 38, were arrested in Owo, headquarters of Owo Local Council Area of the state, as well as one Abubakar Bamoh, 30, a logistics provider for the kidnappers terrorising various parts of the southwest.

He said, “Command also arrested 3 suspected kidnappers who have confessed to their involvement in various kidnapping cases across the state. This operation marks yet another success in the Command’s ongoing offensive against kidnapping and violent crime in the state.

“Acting on credible intelligence regarding the activities of one Abubakar Bamoh, male, aged 30 years, an indigene of Bunza Local Government Area of Kebbi State, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Command swung into action and successfully apprehended the suspect at one of the Fulani camps in Igbara-Oke Mine, Ondo State.”

The suspect, Abubakar Bamoh, is alleged to be a major logistics provider for suspected kidnapping syndicates operating across state lines.

Afolabi further stressed that preliminary investigations and intelligence revealed that he played a significant role in providing logistical support in a kidnapping incident that occurred in Osun State, in which the victim was abducted and subsequently held hostage in a forest located in Igbara-Oke, Ondo State.

He added, “Upon his arrest, the suspect volunteered a confessional statement and provided useful information regarding the operations of the syndicate. A search conducted at his premises led to the recovery of one Tecno mobile phone, suspected to have been used by the syndicate for communication, and a solar panel, allegedly used to power their devices in the forest.

“Following actionable intelligence gathered during interrogation, a combined tactical team comprising the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, the Command Surveillance Squad, and the TIRS Team has been deployed to carry out an operation aimed at rescuing the victim and effecting further arrests of other members of the kidnapping syndicate.”