Police rescue mother, baby, five others from kidnappers in Kwara

The Kwara State Police Command has rescued a woman, Afusatu Alhaji Ladan, and her nine-month-old baby, Usman, alongside five other victims from kidnapper’s den after a gun battle with bandits in a forest near Owa-Onire, Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state.

The victims were freed on Wednesday following a joint operation by operatives attached to the Office of the National Security Adviser, police officers, and vigilante members, according to the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi.

The spokesperson who confirmed the development in a statement made available to Punch Online, on Thursday, said the rescue followed sustained search-and-rescue operations launched in response to recent abductions in the state.

“During the operation, security operatives encountered armed resistance from the kidnappers, leading to a fierce gun duel. The criminals were forced to abandon their hostages and escape deeper into the forest, while all seven victims were safely rescued,” she said.

The PPRO added that a vigilante member sustained gunshot injuries during the encounter but is responding to treatment.

Other rescued victims include Adam Khadijat, 23; Mamud Miriam, 24; Mumini Ahmed, 17; Hamadu Haruna, 44; and Abibat Umaru, 16.

Items recovered from the bandits’ hideout include three motorcycles and nine empty magazines of AK-47 rifles.

Ejire-Adeyemi further said the rescued victims had been debriefed and reunited with their families, adding that the Commissioner of Police, CP Adekimi Ojo, commended the gallantry of the security team.

She quoted the CP as saying, “The Command, in synergy with other security agencies, will sustain aggressive onslaughts against criminal hideouts until perpetrators of kidnapping and banditry are brought to justice.”

The command urged residents to remain calm but vigilant and to provide timely and credible information to aid ongoing operations.

On June 22, 2025,report that Troops of the 22 Armoured Brigade, deployed at the Forward Operating Base in Patigi, Kwara State, arrested eight suspected kidnappers and rescued two victims during a coordinated operation.

The military also recovered two motorcycles and two expended cartridges from the suspects, believed to be part of a kidnapping gang operating in the area.

According to a statement released by Lt. Stephen Nwankwo, Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations for the 22 Brigade, the operation was launched based on credible intelligence.

“Acting on credible intelligence, troops launched a tactical operation on Saturday, 21 June 2025, targeting a hideout on the outskirts of Latandaji Village, Patigi Local Government Area,” the statement read.