The Kwara State Police Command said that its operatives foiled two kidnap attempts and arrested four suspects in two local government areas in the state.
The command, in a statement on Thursday by the Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said it foiled two kidnapping attempts and arrested four suspects in Baruten and Ifelodun local government areas respectively.
The arrested suspects, according to the statement, included; Tukur Muhammad, Yahaya Abdullahi, in the Baruten Local Government Area while Umar Sanni and Dairu Isiaku were arrested in the Ifelodun Local Government Area after foiled kidnapping attempts.
“In response to a reported case of criminal conspiracy and threats to kidnap, the Kwara State Police Command has arrested two suspects who attempted to extort money from a victim.
“On January 15, 2025, at about 06:30 hrs, a resident of Ajuba Fulani Camp, Ilesha Baruba, discovered a white paper placed at the front door of his residence with two phone numbers written on it.
“Upon calling one of the numbers, the receiver threatened to kidnap him and his family unless a ransom of N20m was paid. After negotiations, the demand was reduced to N4m. The victim promptly reported the case to the police.
“Through intelligence-driven operations, operatives from the State Criminal Investigations Department (Anti-Kidnapping Squad) successfully tracked the identified phone numbers, leading to the arrest of two suspects. They are Tukur Muhammad and Yahaya Abdullahi.”
He stated that during thorough interrogations, the suspects admitted to strategically placing their contact details at the victim’s residence to establish communication and coerce a ransom payment.
“Further investigations uncovered a pattern of criminal activity, indicating that the suspects had been utilising multiple phone numbers to issue threats and extort unsuspecting individuals”, the statement added.
The state police command, in another statement, on Thursday, also stated that another two suspects were arrested for criminal conspiracy and extortion, in an attempt to extort N5m from their victims in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state.
According to the statement, “The Kwara State Police Command has successfully foiled a kidnapping plot and arrested two suspects involved in criminal conspiracy and extortion.
“On January 9, 2025, at about 1100hrs, the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the State Criminal Investigation Department of the command acted on a report by two individuals from the Ifelodun Local Government Area who received threatening calls and messages demanding a ransom of N5m to avoid being kidnapped.
“Through intelligence-led operations, the police detectives tracked and arrested one Umar Sanni of Tarshan Girgi, Wushishi of Niger State, whose apprehension led to the arrest of one Dairu Isiaku of Iyana Share, Ifelodun LGA, Kwara State.
“Both suspects have confessed to their roles in the crime, including providing phone numbers of numerous potential victims and issuing threats to extort money”, the statement further said.
“The Commissioner of Police CP Victor Olaiya commended the operatives for their swift and professional response, reaffirming the Command’s commitment to combating crime and ensuring the safety of all residents.
The PPRO said that all the suspects have been charged to court and remanded in the federal correctional facility in the state.
