Kidnap: Ogun Police, DSS neutralise another kidnap suspect

…arrest 18-year-old, recover three AK-47 rifles By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta The Ogun State Police Command and the Department of State Services (DSS) have neutralised another suspected kidnapper, arrested an 18-year-old suspect, and recovered two additional AK-47 rifles in an operation aimed at dismantling kidnapping networks in the state. The latest operation, conducted on Sunday, brings the number of suspected kidnappers neutralised to two and the total number of AK-47 rifles recovered to three.

The development comes barely days after 10 passengers abducted from a commercial vehicle around Orita Fufu, Awa-Ijebu, in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State, regained their freedom following coordinated security operations. The arrested suspect was identified as Abubakar Yinusa, an 18-year-old man. According to a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, Ogun State Command, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, the latest breakthrough followed a fierce gun battle between the joint security team and the suspected kidnappers.

Babaseyi said the operation was carried out by operatives of the police and DSS, alongside other security agencies, under the leadership of the Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni, and the State Director of Security, Mr Adelakun Adeyinka. He disclosed that the operation resulted in the neutralisation of another suspected kidnapper, the arrest of Yinusa and the recovery of two AK-47 rifles.

The police spokesman said the latest development was part of sustained efforts by security agencies to dismantle criminal networks operating across the state. He attributed the successes recorded so far to intelligence sharing, operational coordination and sustained collaboration among the police, DSS, other security agencies and quasi-security outfits.

The 10 passengers abducted on November 3 were reportedly released unharmed on November 7 following sustained operational pressure on the criminal network. Meanwhile, Governor Dapo Abiodun has commended the Director-General of the DSS, Mr Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi and the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Ridwan Disu, for their respective roles in securing the release of the abducted passengers.

Abiodun particularly praised the DSS Director-General for providing critical intelligence and sophisticated security equipment that assisted security operatives in tracking the kidnappers and facilitating the rescue operation. He also applauded the Inspector-General of Police for his prompt directives and intervention, which galvanised the Ogun State Police Command and other security agencies into action, leading to the safe return of the victims.

The governor, in a statement, declared that his administration would not allow kidnappers and other criminal elements to turn any part of Ogun State into a safe haven. He assured residents that the government was intensifying efforts to ensure that criminal elements had no place to operate in the state. Abiodun warned that anyone threatening the security of residents and commuters would be relentlessly pursued until they were brought to justice.

He also called on residents to support security agencies by providing timely and credible information on suspicious persons, movements and activities within their communities. The governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to strengthening collaboration with security agencies and providing the necessary support to protect lives and property across the state.

He stressed that collective action and prompt information-sharing remained essential to preventing crime and sustaining peace. Similarly, the Ogun State Police Command reiterated its determination to sustain the ongoing offensive against kidnapping and other violent crimes, assuring residents that the joint security operations would continue until criminal networks were dismantled.

The police and other security agencies also vowed that everyone involved in the abduction of the 10 passengers would be apprehended and brought to justice. The Command urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report anyone suspected to have sustained suspicious gunshot wounds to the nearest police station or other security agencies. The police emphasised that sustained cooperation between security agencies and members of the public remained critical to consolidating the gains recorded in the fight against kidnapping and ensuring the safety of residents across Ogun State.