Security forces in Kwara State recorded a breakthrough on Friday as they arrested five suspected kidnappers and intercepted a truck loaded with 127 bags of cannabis hidden under yam tubers. The operation was carried out by a joint team comprising the police, army, forest guards, vigilantes, and operatives from the office of the National Security Adviser. Among those arrested was Tukur Ibrahim from Tsaragi, described by security officials as a notorious kidnapper responsible for attacks in Babanla on August 8, which left the community in fear and nearly deserted.
The raid took place around the Babanla-Oreke-Oke-Ode axis, where kidnapping and banditry have been rampant. Police spokesperson Ejire Adetoun Adeyemi confirmed the arrests in a statement released on Saturday, noting that suspects Dan-Teni Haruna and Rabiu Ibrahim, both from Niger State, were caught transporting cannabis in the truck. The statement also confirmed the arrest of Mohammed Abubakar, Hussain, and Ibrahim, linking them directly to the August 8 Babanla invasion. The suspects remain in custody and will be charged after investigations are completed. Commissioner of Police Adekimj Ojo praised the security operatives for their collaboration and vowed that criminal groups will not find safe ground in Kwara.
