Kwara police rescue five kidnapped victims
Five people who were kidnapped by gunmen in Isanlu Isin, in Isin Local Government Area of Kwara State, on Thursday evening have been rescued by the operatives of the State Police Command on Sunday.
This was made known in a statement issued by the spokesman of the command, Ajayi Okasanmi, made available to journalists in Ilorin, saying the five victims were rescued from the forest not far from the locality through the combined efforts of local hunters, vigilantes, and the Police on Saturday night.
The PPRO said the tactical teams and the vigilante led by the female Commissioner of Police, Ebunoluwarotimi Adelesi, late Saturday night reportedly led to the rescue of the kidnapped victims.
According to the statement, those rescued include a Deacon of First Baptist Church, Isanlu Isin, Femi Ajayi, and his father, Mr. Dipe Ajayi,.Kunle Abolarin and Femi Abolarin, all of Oke-Aran and Isanlu-Isin, as well as one Mr. Oke Olatunji, who was rescued in the abandoned Toyota Sienna bus used by the kidnappers for the operation,
The statement reads, “Acting on the directive of the Commissioner of Police, the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit stationed within the Isin axis, 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, 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 possibly 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 last night”, the statement said.
Meanwhile, command has confirmed that two people killed in the last week’s thunder storm that struck the Oro-Ago area in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state were not kidnappers but herders, as confirmed by their parents.
“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 dispel the story that the two people killed by the thunder storm 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.
