By Asaye Bankole
The Ondo State Police Command has rescued two kidnapped victims and arrested three suspected members of a kidnapping gang following a gun battle in a forest along the Ifira–Idoani axis in the Isua-Akoko area of the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, saying the operation also resulted in the recovery of N1.5 million suspected to have been brought as ransom for the release of the victims.
According to the police, two of the arrested suspects sustained gunshot injuries to their legs during the operation.
Jimoh explained that the operation began on Friday, September 11, after the command received credible intelligence that suspected kidnappers hiding in a forest were preparing to leave their hideout to collect ransom.
Acting on the intelligence, operatives from the Isua Police Division, supported by personnel of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun, and Agbe-Koya, launched a coordinated operation and took strategic positions along the suspected route.
At about 11:30 p.m., four armed suspects reportedly emerged from the forest and opened fire after sighting the security operatives.
The officers and their collaborators responded to the attack, forcing the kidnappers to retreat into the forest.
During the encounter, the security operatives successfully rescued the two victims, identified as Owolabi Patrick and Asoto Dada, without injuries.
They also recovered N1.5 million believed to have been brought by the kidnappers as ransom.
The suspects, some of whom sustained gunshot injuries, reportedly escaped into the thick forest.
However, the security team continued surveillance and intelligence gathering in an effort to track them down.
The breakthrough came at about 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 13, when the suspects were sighted along Idoani Road. Security operatives immediately moved in and arrested three members of the gang, two of whom had gunshot wounds on their legs.
The suspects were identified as Abdullahi Abubakar, Ibrahim Abubakar and Oseni Abubakar, all residents of the Akunnu area.
The police said the rescued victims later visited the station and identified the three suspects as the men allegedly involved in their abduction.
A Bajaj motorcycle previously recovered by the command was also identified by the victims as being connected to the kidnapping operation.
The motorcycle has been retained as an exhibit as investigations continue.
The Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, commended the personnel of the Isua Police Division, Amotekun and Agbe-Koya for their courage, professionalism and cooperation during the operation.
Ohagwu subsequently directed that the case be transferred to the Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad in Akure for discreet investigation.
The move is aimed at uncovering the wider network behind the crime and ensuring that other persons linked to the operation are identified and brought to justice.
The command assured residents that it would continue to intensify intelligence-led operations across Ondo State, particularly in forests and other suspected criminal hideouts, to prevent kidnappers and other criminals from using such locations as safe havens.
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