Deborah Akinyosoye
Operatives of the Oyo State Police Command at the weekend foiled a kidnap attempt at Olorunda Village, Ojongbodu, in Oyo West Local Council, rescuing a victim who sustained a head injury during the ordeal.
The command said the victim, Haruna Lawal, was abducted by suspected kidnappers, who later fled and escaped with his motorcycle to an unknown location.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, disclosed this in a statement, saying the command received a distress call at about 2:10 a.m. on January 24, 2026, from Alimot, a resident of the Ojongbodu area, reporting that suspected kidnappers armed with weapons had invaded her brother’s residence.
“Upon receipt of the report and acting on the directives of the Commissioner of Police, Femi Haruna, operatives of the command immediately swung into action and were deployed to the area. As police operatives advanced into the area with patrol vans and sirens, the kidnappers, realising that security forces were closing in on them, abandoned the victim and fled,” he said.
Ayanlade explained that the swift response and aggressive bush-combing operation mounted by the police exerted pressure on the suspects.
The command said Lawal was rescued alive and subsequently rushed to the General Hospital in Oyo town, where he is currently receiving appropriate medical attention for the head injury sustained during the incident.
He further reiterated the command’s resolve to ensure that criminals find no hiding place in the state and urged members of the public to continue to provide timely and credible information to security agencies.