The Kwara State Police Command has paraded criminals arrested for offenses such as murder, abduction, cultism, and armed robbery in Ilorin and other areas of the state.
According to information made available to Swift Reporters, a team of police operatives attached to the Banni Division and local vigilantes raided the Banni Forest in an effort to find any potential kidnappers who may have already set up residence there in anticipation of a kidnapping attempt.
On Thursday, April 13, 2023, when the suspects were being paraded at Police State headquarters, Kwara State Police Commissioner CP Paul Odama revealed that the suspects had confessed to the crimes and that thorough investigations were being carried out to identify potential suspects.
The suspects are: Aliyu Abubakar ‘m’ 30yrs, Aliyu Bingi ‘m’ 30yrs, Shehu Sanni ‘m’ 35yrs, Abdulahi Saidu ‘m’ 28yrs, Bayo Dudu ‘m’ 30yrs.
The CP says that the search operation resulted in the arrest of three of the aforementioned suspects who, during questioning, admitted to being kidnappers, along with two of their members, Bayo Dudu “M” and Aliyu Abubakar, who resides in Niger State.
One of the suspects who is now at large is in possession of their primary weapon, an AK-47 rifle, according to the statement. Arrest attempts are still being made for the kidnap gang’s remaining members.
The CP also noted that on March 6, 2023, anti-kidnapping teams attached to the Eyenkorin Axis of Ilorin collaborated with a local vigilante group after receiving credible information that some people believed to be kidnappers had been spotted near the Eyenkorin Forest. The operation was successful, and the suspects Abubakar Shehu, Mohammed Aliyu, Yunusa Ahmadu, and Malami Usman were all apprehended.
He noted that preliminary investigation into the case revealed that, Abubakar Shehu aka Dogo and his gang were the kidnappers behind the kidnap of one Alhaji Madaki Shaibu at Ayegun Fulani Camp sometime in January 2023, where the son of the Alhaji was killed. It was also revealed that Dogo was part of the gang that kidnapped Magistrate Bamigboye also in January 2023.
The suspects were also involved in cow rustling, according to the police commissioner, and the vehicle used to steal cows has also been found. As soon as investigations are finished, suspects would be charged in court.
Ajao Musa, Ismail Ayomide, Adebayo Abdulateef, Habeeb Ayomide, Oni Obasanjo, Mohammed Abdulkareem, Ibrahim Apete, Yusuf Najeem, and other suspected ritualists were arrested and paraded at the command with local pots filled with concoction, natural sponges, and smartphones.
They all admitted to being internet scammers, and the Command further stated that they will all face charges in court once the investigation is over.
The CP said that on Wednesday, 22nd March 2023, the command received an intelligence report from concerned citizens about some hoodlums suspected to be members of a secret cult, the suspects invaded Doam Suite Hostel, Tanke Area Ilorin.
Detectives from the Anti-cultism section were drafted to the hostel, where the suspects were arrested. An investigation conducted revealed that the suspects forcefully transferred about one million naira from the various accounts of the occupants to their bank accounts.
The Police boss noted that one Isah Abdulkareem was rescued from where he was kept after being kidnapped and the sum of one hundred and fifty thousand naira was demanded as ransom.
The results of the investigation also showed that the suspects are members of the Supreme Viking fraternity. Investigation is ongoing to arrest any other cult group members who are on the run.
After receiving a distress call about the mayhem some cultists had caused at the Blue Chalet Hostel, the Anti-Cult team attached to Malete stormed the scene and arrested two people – Alabidun Lateef and Idris Abdulhamid—with two cutlasses and three knives, while others took to the heels.
The individuals are affiliated with the Eiye and Alora Confraternity, according to the investigation. They were on a mission to attack one another after destroying the room of one Kaosara Jimoh.
However, CP Odama stated that efforts are still being made to apprehend the cult members who ran away. He also stated that after the investigation, all the suspects would be charged in court.
