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The Ondo State Police Command has arrested four suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate operating in the Ilu-Abo area of the Akure North Local Government Area.
The command’s spokesperson, Abayomi Jimoh, confirmed the arrests in a statement issued to journalists in Akure on Thursday, February 5.
He said residents of the Ilu-Abo community apprehended one suspect, identified as Abenaguna Muhammad, after they found him in possession of suspected criminal charms.
Jimoh explained that vigilant residents acted on credible intelligence on Thursday, January 29, 2026, and handed the suspect over to police officers for further investigation.
He said police interrogation of Muhammad led to the arrest of three other suspects linked to the same syndicate.
According to Jimoh, the suspect confessed to being a member of a kidnapping gang operating along the Ala and Ilu-Abo axis and admitted his involvement in a recent violent attack and abduction in the area.
The suspect also disclosed that a man known as Lanre, popularly called “Lanre Tomato,” led the syndicate, alongside two others identified as Ojo and Pius.
Jimoh recalled that gunmen attacked the Ilu-Abo community on January 25, 2026, shot one resident, abducted another, and injured two others. He said the incident prompted the police to intensify security surveillance in the area.
The police spokesperson added that the suspects remain in custody while investigations continue.
