Police Clamp Down on Kidnapping, Gun Running in Kwara as CP Ojo Vows Unrelenting Offensive
KEHINDE AKINPELU, ILORIN
The Kwara State Police Command says it has intensified its efforts against criminal gangs involved in kidnapping, arms trafficking and drug peddling, leading to the arrest of several suspects and recovery of illegal weapons across the state.
Police boss Adekimi Ojo, who addressed journalists at the state command headquarters in Ilorin on Friday ,said the latest breakthroughs were a result of intelligence-led policing and swift tactical response by the police and local security networks.
In one of the operations, 26-year-old Saheed Jimoh Adekeja from Awe Village in Asa LGA was arrested with a cut-to-size locally made pistol and several wraps of suspected Indian hemp during a stop-and-search exercise near the Federal Government College, Ogidi. He confessed that the weapon was handed to him by a man named Muritala for use in guarding a farm.
Similarly, a suspicious gathering of youths at uncompleted building in Amoyo led to the recovery of a double-barrel pistol. Although the suspects escaped into the bush, the police identified one of them as Olamide (alias “Bold”), described as a known drug dealer in the Gbagba area.
In Okuta, Baruten Local Government, a more serious operation led to the arrest of Idirisu Sariki, a suspected kidnap kingpin. The police recovered an AK-47 rifle with 13 rounds of ammunition and a red Golf car after rescuing a kidnap victim and engaging the suspects in a gun duel. One vigilante was killed during the shootout.
“Our operatives displayed exceptional courage in that rescue operation. While we mourn the death of one of the local vigilantes, we remain steadfast in tracking the remnants of the gang,” CP Ojo said.
Also in Babanla, acting on intelligence, police officers intercepted a vehicle where three women were found transporting an AK-47 rifle and 31 rounds of ammunition. The suspects, Aisha Haruna, Rabi Umaru, and Fatimoh Abubakar, reportedly confessed to aiding their husbands who are active members of a kidnap gang operating from the Baba-Sango forest.
One of the suspects revealed she was en route to reunite with her husband in the forest, while another admitted she was instructed by an arms supplier based in Kaduna to deliver the weapon. A fourth woman believed to be involved escaped and is currently at large.
In another dramatic arrest, two suspects, Suleiman Jamiu and Mumini Mohammed, were found with over ₦11.3 million cash in a bag while riding a motorcycle near Share town. Investigations linked the money to past kidnap operations, including a February 2025 case where ₦20 million was demanded from a victim’s family. Suleiman, already on the police watchlist, was identified as a major player in the gang.
Three other suspects—Mohammed Olaiya Dende, Mohammed Dende, and Somo Gida—were also charged to court over coordinated kidnapping attacks in Oro community, where one person was killed and six others abducted between May 30 and June 1, 2025.
In Gbugbu, six suspects linked to a wanted kidnap ringleader known as Tambaya were arrested, and two guns were recovered. The police say they are closing in on Tambaya, believed to be behind several abductions in Kwara and neighbouring Niger State.
One Buba Lawal was also intercepted by vigilantes in Oko, Ifelodun LGA with an AK-47 magazine loaded with eight rounds, further deepening suspicions of his role in arms trafficking and kidnapping.
Reassuring residents, CP Ojo said: “These arrests are proof of our unwavering resolve to dismantle all criminal networks threatening peace in Kwara. We are working round the clock with community stakeholders, vigilantes, and sister agencies to restore safety in every village, town, and border area.”
He added that all suspects would be prosecuted and that efforts were ongoing to trace weapons sources, financial transactions and safe havens linked to the syndicates.
The police called on the public to remain vigilant and continue to provide useful information, promising that every credible tip would be swiftly acted upon
