Operatives of the Ekiti State Police Command have gunned down one suspected kidnapper and arrested eight others responsible for the January 29th kidnapping of five pupils, three teachers, and a driver from Emure.
This was disclosed by the Command’s spokesperson, DSP Sunday Abutu, while briefing journalists on their recent successes in combating kidnapping gangs.
Abutu revealed that the arrested syndicate members were behind various high-profile abductions in Ekiti, including the kidnapping of the APC State Chairman Paul Omotosho in 2023.
He stated that the breakthrough was achieved through the efforts of the Command’s Rapid Response Squad (RRS), led by CSP Ogundola Marcus.
Abutu narrated that on February 8th, acting on credible intelligence, the RRS team apprehended Abubakar Aliyu, alias ‘Smallie’, who was spying on expatriates at a dairy farm in Ikun-Ekiti in preparation for a kidnapping attack.
The subsequent arrests and interrogations of vigilante members and Miyetti Allah leaders implicated notorious gang leader Sumo Karami and his kidnapping syndicate as the perpetrators behind recent abductions in Emure-Ekiti and other locations.
One member, Kenneth Ugwu, confessed to participating in the kidnapping of five pupils, three teachers, and a driver from Emure. Under his guidance, the RRS operatives tracked the kidnappers’ hideout to a forest reserve between Ise-Ekiti and Emure-Ekiti.
Upon sight of the police, the heavily armed gang engaged in a fierce shootout. One member identified as Ayuba was neutralized, while Abubakar Mohammed alias ‘Smallie’ was captured alive.
Several items were recovered, including an AK-47 rifle, ammunition, mobile phones, and masks likely used during abductions.
