The Ondo State Police Command has apprehended three suspected kidnappers believed to be part of a criminal syndicate operating across the Southwest region.
The suspects, identified as Abayomi Fayankinu of Okada Area in Edo State, Felix Orka of Ugbogi Area in Edo State, and Abdullahi Ibrahim, were arrested following a covert operation by the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Squad.
In a statement on Wednesday, the command’s spokesperson, Superintendent Olayinka Ayanlade, said the operation was launched after credible intelligence revealed suspicious movements along known kidnapping routes.
“Acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad embarked on a coordinated operation which led to the arrest of two suspected kidnappers, Abayomi Fayankinu, aged 51, and Felix Orka, aged 34,” Ayanlade said.
During interrogation, Fayankinu reportedly confessed that one Adebayo, a native of Ogbomoso, had been working with him as an informant while pretending to provide security intelligence. He also revealed that Adebayo trained him in firearm handling, which led to Adebayo’s eventual arrest.
Ayanlade disclosed that the investigation was later extended to Edo State, where another notorious member of the gang, Ibukun Jimoh Samson, also known as Iron Body, aged 55, was apprehended in the Okada Area. A search of his residence reportedly yielded an English-made single-barrel gun believed to have been used in previous abductions.
According to the police, the latest breakthrough was linked to the earlier arrest of Abdullahi Ibrahim in Ore. His confession reportedly exposed a wider kidnapping network operating along major highways in the Southwest.
“This breakthrough ties directly to the earlier arrest of Abdullahi Ibrahim, whose confession unveiled a broader criminal network operating across the Southwest. His disclosures provided actionable intelligence that guided the operatives to the arrest of other members of the gang,” Ayanlade said.
He added that the suspects had given voluntary confessional statements detailing their roles in the kidnapping operations. The police spokesperson assured that the suspects would be arraigned in court once the investigation is concluded.
