Olayiwola Matthew
The Kwara State Police Command has announced the arrest of 16 suspects and the recovery of firearms, ammunition, and a vehicle during a series of operations targeting kidnapping and violent crimes across the state in April.
In a statement issued on Saturday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the command said the recovered exhibits included 98 rounds of ammunition made up of 20 assault rounds and 78 AK-47 rounds, additional live AK-47 ammunition, and several locally made firearms.
Other items recovered, according to the police, were a shotgun, a cut-to-size shotgun, a pistol, a revolver rifle, a Toyota Matrix vehicle, mobile phones, and other incriminating materials linked to criminal activities.
The command also disclosed that operatives successfully carried out a rescue mission at Apata Aje settlement, where a suspected bandit was killed during a gun battle.
Police said the operation followed credible intelligence that armed men had stormed the settlement on April 28, 2026, at about 11:00 p.m. and abducted two persons.
A combined team of police operatives and National Forest Guards was subsequently deployed for a coordinated search-and-rescue mission.
“During an intensive bush-combing exercise, the operatives made contact with the fleeing suspects, who engaged the team with heavy gunfire. In the ensuing exchange, one suspected bandit was neutralized, while others escaped with gunshot injuries,” the statement said.
Further items recovered at the scene included live cartridges, spent ammunition, mobile phones, including a Samsung A2S, and suspected criminal charms.
The police said efforts were ongoing to rescue the abducted victims and apprehend the fleeing suspects.
Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to tackling criminal networks and sustaining pressure on kidnappers and bandits operating in the state.
