Four suspected kidnappers arrested in connection with the abduction of two children in Ibarapa in Oyo State on 27 June have offered conflicting accounts of their involvement in the crime, each attempting to shift responsibility to the others following their arrest by security operatives.
The suspects Sunday Idowu, 30; Muhammed Shina, 29; Abdullahi Ahmed, 28; and Umaru Usman, 25 were arrested during a joint operation involving the Oyo State Police Command, Amotekun Corps, local vigilantes and hunters after two children were abducted from Ebinpejo Village in Lanlate, Ibarapa East Local Government Area during invasion into the community.
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The Oyo State Police Command said armed hoodlums invaded the community on Friday, ransacked houses, assaulted residents and abducted the children before fleeing into a forest.
In a police statement signed by its PRO, Ayanlade Olayinka, the Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, immediately ordered a coordinated rescue operation involving multiple security agencies.
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Security operatives tracked the suspects to a hideout in the forest, where a gun battle ensued after the kidnappers allegedly opened fire on the advancing security team.
Suspects trade blames
A review by PREMIUM TIMES of separate interviews conducted by NAN, Channels, and Arise News after the suspects’ arrest, showed the suspects deny key allegations and accuse one another of masterminding the operation.
Mr Shina, who police said travelled from Ilorin to participate in the abduction, claimed he was repeatedly pressured to join the operation despite initially refusing. According to him, a fellow suspect had approached him several times over a period of more than a month to participate in a kidnapping mission.
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“It has been more than one month since he approached me to join the operation. I told him I was afraid and that neither I nor my family had ever been involved in such things,” he said. “I am only an Okada rider and I survive on what I earn daily.”
Mr Shina claimed he ignored several calls from the suspect but he later came to look for him again and told him it was time for the operation. “I told him I had no money and I was afraid, but he insisted we had to go.”
Mr Ahmed, who was accused by other suspects of supplying weapons used for the operation, also denied the allegation. The suspect, who identified himself as a herdsman, said he was introduced into the matter through another individual and insisted the firearms belonged to Idowu, another arrested suspect.
“He sent someone to meet me. The gun belongs to Idowu.”
Mr Idowu, whom police described as a local collaborator, however, rejected the accusation and claimed he had repeatedly distanced himself from discussions about the operation. He admitted handing over a firearm but insisted it was faulty and unusable.
“If not for ignorance, I should have reported him (Ahmed) to the police a long time ago because he had been discussing the operation with me for a long time,” he said.
Mr Idowu alleged that one of the suspects gave him money to purchase bullets but said he never bought any bullets.
“The gun had been faulty for a long time. It belonged to my brother. I didn’t think they could use an empty gun for such an operation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Usman, whom investigators identified as the coordinator of the operation, denied leading the gang and accused the other suspects of falsely implicating him.
“It is true that we were arrested, but their claim that I coordinated the operation is a lie,” he said. “I have never done this kind of thing before. My family has never been involved in such activities.”
Mr Usman offered an unusual explanation for his involvement, claiming he acted under a spiritual influence.
“I was under a spell,” he said. “If I had been in my right senses, I would not have been involved.”
He insisted he neither recruited the suspects nor coordinated the operation, adding that the others knew one another before he became involved.
Arrest and rescue
Giving update on the arrest and rescue operation, the police spokesperson attributed the success to “credible intelligence”.
“Acting on credible intelligence, supported by technical resources and coordinated field operations, the joint security team successfully traced the abductors’ hideout deep within the forest.
“On sighting the advancing security team, the hoodlums opened fire, resulting in a gun duel. The operatives responded professionally, overpowering the criminals and forcing them to flee in different directions,” the police statement read.
During the operation, a suspect, Usman, was arrested with gunshot wounds sustained while attempting to escape while the police also recovered three mobile phones at the scene. Another suspect, Ahmed, was arrested in a follow-up operation the next day.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Idowu, whom police described as a local collaborator, and Shina, who allegedly travelled from Ilorin, Kwara State, to participate in the operation.
The children were later rescued during the operation. One of the victims sustained injuries but was taken to the hospital along with the other victim for treatment before reuniting with their families.
Police said the four suspects are assisting investigators with information aimed at tracking other members of the criminal network. “Investigation is ongoing, and further development will be communicated as they unfold.”
Oyo grapples with rising insecurity
The arrests come amid growing concerns over insecurity in Oyo State, particularly in rural communities bordering forests stretching across Oke-Ogun, Ibarapa and parts of the Old Oyo National Park.
In recent months, residents have reported a rise in kidnapping incidents, attacks on communities and violent crimes linked to armed groups operating in forested areas.
The security challenge recently attracted national attention following the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers from their schools in Oriire Local Government Area on 15 May.
One of the kidnapped teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was
beheaded by the captors, triggering public outrage and renewed calls for stronger security measures across the state.
The Oyo State Government has since imposed security restrictions in several local government areas and intensified collaboration with security agencies in a bid to rescue the victims, curb criminal activities, and restore public confidence.
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