A Joint operation by the police, military, Department of State Services (DSS) and vigilantes/hunters has rescued the abducted wife of the late Oba Olusegun Aremu-Cole, the Olukoro of Koro Kingdom in Ekiti Local Council of Kwara State.
Also rescued was a little girl who was abducted alongside the wife. The traditional ruler was killed when the kidnappers stormed the palace. The operatives also arrested 13 suspects at hideouts in a forest.
According to police sources, the operatives were aided by the prompt release of a chopper by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, who was said to have issued a “rescue and arrest” order.
The Guardian learnt that the alleged assailants were rounded up on Monday, at about 10:30 p.m. Confirming the development, yesterday, spokesperson for the Kwara State Police Command, Ejire-Adeyemi Toun, said: “The IGP approved the deployment of a police chopper for aerial surveillance to help comb the forest/boundary between Kwara and Ekiti states.
“Also arrested was the person who wanted to receive the ransom for the kidnappers. The Olori (queen) has since been reunited with her family, hale and hearty.
“The 13 male suspects are currently in police custody undergoing rigorous interrogation, with a view to aiding the arrest of members of the gang still at large.”
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Victor Olaiya, has assured that perpetrators of the act would face the full wrath of the law, even as he urged the public to be calm and security conscious as they go about their daily activities without fear or anxiety.
Also, the leader of a kidnap syndicate terrorising Ekiti, Kogi and Kwara states, an octogenarian, Pa Olowofela, has been arrested. His arrest came after Baboga Alhaji, one of the suspected kidnappers responsible for the killing of the two Ekiti traditional rulers, last week, was apprehended.
Olowofela is reportedly based in Igbara Odo, Ekiti State, and has a chain of businesses, including a sawmill in Irele, an axis where the activities of abductors are pronounced.
He was arrested when a combined team of security operatives from Kwara State stormed his Igbara Odo abode in Ijowa Ekiti, Ajoni Local Council Development Area, yesterday.
Residents were shocked when the operatives brought Olowofela to Ijowa in cuffs; villagers expressed surprise that he could be linked with the dreaded activities of abductors in the area.
