OSUN POLICE BUST INTERSTATE KIDNAPPING RING, LAUNCH VIOLENT CRIME RESPONSE UNIT

Osogbo, Osun — Acting on directives from Inspector‑General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu, the Osun State Police Command has inaugurated a Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) and arrested three suspects believed to be members of an interstate kidnapping syndicate following an intelligence‑led operation.

The command said the arrests followed a May 5 complaint at Ijebu‑Ijesa Police Station after a herdsman sleeping at his cattle pen in the Iloko area was attacked by about six armed men who abducted a local resident, identified as Yahaya Sulaimon. Responding police and local security operatives pursued the abductors, and during engagements in nearby bushland the victim was stabbed in the chest and abdomen but was subsequently rescued and taken to hospital.

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During the patrol, operatives recovered a locally fabricated automatic firearm and three live cartridges and arrested one suspect, Umaru Adamu. The case was transferred to the command’s Anti‑Kidnapping Unit for discreet follow‑up. Further intelligence work led to the arrests of two other suspects: Nasir Yahya, 21, in Ajase, Kwara State, and Umar Yahya, 24, in Sabo‑Ibodi, Ilesa.

The police command said investigations are ongoing to identify and apprehend additional members of the gang. The launch of the VCRU, the command added, forms part of sustained efforts to strengthen security and combat violent crime across Osun State in line with national directives.