Police rescue two kidnapping victims and arrest suspect during Ekiti forest raid

The Ekiti State Police Command announced that its officers, working with the military, Amotekun Corps, and local vigilantes, uncovered a kidnappers’ hideout in a forested area between Irele‑Ekiti in Ekiti State and Ogbe in Kogi State during a bush‑combing operation. Two hostages, Iorfa Solomon, 35, and Blessing Kingsley, 37, were rescued unharmed.

A statement from Police Public Relations Officer SP Sunday Abutu, released on Wednesday, confirmed that the discovery occurred during the operation.

“Upon sighting the operatives, the suspected kidnappers engaged them in a gun duel. In the process, one of the suspects was arrested while other members of the gang escaped. Meanwhile, the two victims were rescued unharmed,” the officer said.

“Investigation revealed that the victims, Iorfa Solomon and Blessing Kingsley, were kidnapped while on duty at Aluta Bar, Ikoyi, in Kogi State, on June 4, 2026, at about 9:00 p.m.”

“The victims narrated that the hoodlums, numbering about eight and armed with guns, surrounded them at the bar, shot sporadically into the air, and whisked them away into the forest, while other people at the bar managed to escape.”

During interrogation, the suspect, Abubakar Kabiru, confessed to the crime. He identified the two rescued persons as his victims, and the victims also identified him as one of the hoodlums who kidnapped them.

The suspect mentioned seven other members of his gang who are currently at large. Efforts are underway to apprehend the fleeing members.

Ekiti State Commissioner of Police CP Falade Adegoroye Michael urged everyone to remain vigilant and security‑conscious, and to support and cooperate with the police and other security agencies in the fight against crime and criminality in the state.