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The Kwara State Police Command has arrested two nationals of the Republic of Togo for their alleged involvement in a failed kidnapping and extortion plot targeted at a resident of Okuta in the Baruten Local Government Area of the state.
According to a statement released on Thursday by the Police Public Relations Officer of the Kwara State Command, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the operation aligns with the strategic policing vision of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
The police said the case began after one S. Ismaila of Okuta reported to the Okuta Police Division that he had received a series of threatening phone calls from an unidentified person demanding ₦22 million.
The caller also allegedly threatened to kidnap the complainant and kill his younger brother, Musa Ismaila, if the ransom demand was not met.
The suspects, identified as Yakubu Ismaila and Hadiza Kosia, were apprehended following intelligence-led operations by police operatives after they allegedly demanded ₦22 million from their intended victim to prevent his abduction.
The statement reads: “Upon receipt of the report, police operatives immediately activated intelligence-driven operational strategies. In collaboration with the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and leveraging technical support, operatives swiftly tracked and arrested two suspects identified as Yakubu Ismaila and Hadiza Kosia, both nationals of the Republic of Togo”.
Also, the Command stated that preliminary investigations linked the two suspects to the alleged criminal conspiracy.
According to the police, both suspects confessed to their involvement in the attempted kidnapping and extortion during interrogation.
Investigators also recovered a mobile phone allegedly used to make the threatening calls, which has been taken into custody as evidence.
The Commissioner of Police in Kwara State, CP Ojo Adekimi, commended the officers involved in the operation, praising their professionalism, prompt response, and coordinated efforts, noting that their swift intervention prevented what could have escalated into a serious security incident.
Adekimi reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to intelligence-led policing and vowed to sustain efforts to root out criminal elements operating within the state or attempting to infiltrate it.
He also disclosed that investigations had been intensified to identify and arrest other members of the suspected criminal network.
The police went further to urge residents to remain vigilant and continue providing timely, credible, and actionable information to security agencies, stressing that public cooperation remains essential to maintaining peace and security across Kwara State.
