Ekiti police arrest five suspected kidnappers

The Ekiti State Police Command has arrested five suspected kidnappers around the Iju Ikere boundary area of the state.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Abutu Sunday, on Tuesday.

PUNCH Online had reported that gunmen suspected to be herdsmen, on Monday, killed two traditional rulers in the state.

The incident was said to have happened between Oke-Ako and Ipao-Ekiti in Ajoni Local Government Area of the state.

The five suspected kidnappers include Usman Jelili, Mohammed Bande, Abubakar Aliu, Isah Abdulahi, and Suleiman Abdulahi.

According to the statement, a combined team of the police, NSCDC, Amotekun, and local hunters began a bush combing operation in the Oke-Osun area of the state and to the dense woodland along the Iju-Ikere boundary to drive out criminal elements, mainly kidnappers, from the state.

The suspects were said to have been arrested in the jungle with four phones, one cutlass, one jack dagger, and two motorcycles.

The statement partly read, “In a bid to flush out criminal elements, especially kidnappers out of the state, a combined team of the police, NSCDC, Amotekun, OPC and local hunters today embarked on a bush combing operation through Oke-Osun, Ikere/Igbo-Okah to the thick forest around Iju/Ikere boundary.

“During the operation, five suspected kidnappers, namely- Usman Jelili, Mohammed Bande, Abubakar Aliu, Isah Abdulahi, and Suleiman Abdullahi, were arrested.

“During interrogation, the suspects claimed to be herdsmen, but it was later discovered that none of them had cattle, and no cattle were found with them in the forest where they were arrested.

“The following items were found with them in the forest; two motorcycles, one cutlass, one jack knife/ dagger, and four phones.”