Kwara State Police Command at the weekend foiled a well-orchestrated kidnap in Oke-Ero local government area of the state.
The victims, who were forcefully abducted by armed assailants on their way to a wedding programme in Kogi State, were rescued in a joint operation involving the Police and the Oke-Ero Local Government Security Initiative personnel.
According to a police source, the rescue team acted on credible intelligence and the support of local informants who joined the security operatives at the suspects’ hideout in the Idofin-Igbana area.
“On sighting the security team, the six kidnappers in military uniforms, engaged the operatives in a gun battle but we were able to overpower them,” the source said.
Confirming the incident, the Command’s spokesperson, DSP Toun Ejire-Adeyemi said: “The suspects fled the scene with various degrees of injuries, abandoning their captives in the process,” adding that the rescued victims were 13.
She said: “The rescued victims includes three females and ten males from various locations, including Odo-Owa in Oke-Ero LGA, Ilorin, Ogbomoso, and a group of trailer drivers en route Kogi State.
“While two victims sustained minor gunshot injuries, all victims were immediately provided with medical care at a nearby hospital, stabilized, and subsequently reunited with their families.”
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Victor Olaiya, commended the resilience and swift response of the operatives and gratitude to the locales for the timely provision of credible information.
He assured the public of the Command’s commitment to sustaining the fight against criminality in all forms, urging them to explore the command’s emergency hotlines 07032069501 or 08125275046.