On Saturday, the Kwara State Police Command successfully rescued five individuals who had been taken hostage by a group of armed individuals in Isanlu Isin, located in the Isin local government area of Kwara State.
The victims, who were kidnapped after gunshots were fired between Ijara Isin and Isanlu Isin, were found in a nearby forest on Saturday night.
The rescue operation was a collaborative effort involving local hunters, vigilantes, and police officers.
The individuals who were rescued included Femi Ajayi, a deacon of First Baptist Church in Isanlu Isin, his father Mr. Dipe Ajayi, Kunle Abolarin and Femi Abolarin from Oke-Aran, Isanlu-Isin, as well as Mr. Oke Olatunji, who was found in a Toyota Sienna bus used by the kidnappers.
The police statement, released on Sunday morning by the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Okasanmi Ajayi, revealed that the unfortunate incident occurred on July 13, 2023, at approximately 5:00 p.m. in Isanlu-Isin.
“Acting on the directive of the Commissioner of Police, the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit stationed within the Isin axis, alongside local hunters and vigilantes swung into action and gave the abductors a hot chase, leading to the abandonment of the Siena bus conveying the victims at the time of the incident and one of the victims named Oke Olatunji was rescued by the team.
“Today the CP personally led another special tactical team on a search and rescue operation into the forests within Isin, in the process another victim identified as Femi Ajayi, with a bullet injury was rescued and brought to the health centre in Isanlu-Isin, where he is currently receiving medical attention.
“At the palace of HRH Oba Olugbenga Oloyede Solomon the Olusin of Isanlu-Isin. The CP met vigilantes, hunters, and other community leaders, where issues affecting the area, in general, were discussed and strategies and plans were implemented to forestall any further ugly occurrences as efforts are still being doubled to free the remaining victims and arrest the criminals.
“The remaining three kidnapped victims in Isanlu-Isin have been released as a result of the pressure asserted by the command tactical teams and the vigilante led by CP Ebunoluwarotimi Adelesi late yesterday night,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Kwara State Police Command has confirmed that two people were killed in the last week’s thunderstorm which struck in the Oro-Ago area in the Ifelodun local government area of the state.
“The command wishes to confirm that lightning killed two young people, but they were not kidnappers, as was being erroneously amplified in the viral video.
“The command wishes to state categorically that the two young boys killed by that unfortunate lightning were herders aged 10 and 12 years old. This was revealed by the father of the victims, who was accompanied by Mohammed Oni Anishere, the chairman of the Oro-Ago vigilante group, Mumini Usman, the leader of vigilante Oko, Chief Olukosi of Oke-Oyan, and Idris Male, also of Oke-Oyan.
“To this end, the command wishes to advise the good people of Kwara State to discountenance the story that the two people killed by the thunderstorm were kidnappers as no such thing happened.
“Meanwhile four suspected kidnappers arrested around Oro-Ago forest have been charged in court,” the police statement said.
