Police Foil Kidnap Plot in Oyo, Nab Suspect with AK-47

Security operatives in Oyo State have thwarted a suspected kidnap operation following the arrest of a man identified as Muhammadu Abubakar, with an AK-47 rifle and ammunition recovered.

The Oyo State Police Command, in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, said the breakthrough followed actionable intelligence on the movement of armed men around forests and farmlands in the Ikoyi-Ile area of Oriire Local Government.

Acting swiftly, a joint security team led by the Divisional Police Officer in Ikoyi-Ile launched a coordinated search operation across nearby bushes, leading to the arrest of the suspect.

Recovered from Abubakar were an AK-47 rifle, six rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition, and three cartridges.

Preliminary interrogation revealed that the suspect allegedly participated in multiple kidnapping operations along the Ogbomoso–Ikoyi-Ile axis and is currently providing useful information to investigators.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Olugbenga Abimbola, has ordered the transfer of the suspect to the State Criminal Investigation Department, while directing an intensified manhunt for other fleeing members of the gang.

The police boss also commended the operatives for their swift response and urged residents to sustain cooperation with security agencies by providing timely intelligence to combat kidnapping and other criminal activities.