Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A 65‑year‑old farmer who was seized from his farm in the Igangan area of Iseyin Local Government Area has been rescued by operatives of the Oyo State Police Command, following a coordinated operation that also led to the arrest of four suspected kidnappers and the recovery of a locally made firearm.
The victim, identified as Chief Ganiyu Oyetola, was abducted on the evening of May 5, 2026, by armed men who stormed his cocoa plantation and dragged him into the surrounding forest.
The police acted swiftly on a distress call from community members, mobilising a team of operatives from the Anti‑Kidnapping Squad and local vigilantes. The suspects were tracked to a hideout in the Oke‑Ogun forest belt, where a gunfight ensued before the kidnappers abandoned their captive and fled.
The Oyo State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Adewale Osifeso, confirmed the development in a statement issued on Thursday, May 7, 2026. According to Osifeso, the rescue operation was carried out at about 2:30 a.m. on Thursday, following intelligence that the abductors were planning to move the victim to another location. “Acting on credible information, our operatives stormed the identified enclave in the Oke‑Ogun forest. The suspects opened fire on sighting the police, but they were overwhelmed by the superior firepower of the security team,” the PPRO said. He added that the suspects abandoned the farmer in the bush and fled with various degrees of gunshot wounds.
The four arrested suspects, whose names have not yet been released, are currently undergoing interrogation at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iyaganku, Ibadan. A locally made pistol, two live cartridges, and the mobile phones of the victim were recovered from the scene.
The police also impounded a motorcycle believed to have been used by the kidnappers for reconnaissance. “Preliminary investigation suggests that the suspects are part of a larger kidnapping syndicate operating in the Oke‑Ogun area. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining members and recover their operational weapons,” Osifeso added.
The rescued farmer, Chief Ganiyu Oyetola, was taken to a medical facility for examination and has since been reunited with his family. In a brief statement, the victim expressed gratitude to the police for their swift intervention. “I thought I would never see my family again. The police gave me a second chance,” he said. Community leaders in Igangan have also praised the police for their bravery and professionalism. “We have been living in fear of kidnappers who strike at will. This rescue gives us hope that the government is finally taking our security seriously,” said a local youth leader.
The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, CP Ayodele Ogunjimi, commended the operatives for their gallantry and urged residents to continue providing actionable intelligence to the police. “We will not relent in our fight against kidnapping and other violent crimes. I call on members of the public to report any suspicious movement in their areas,” the CP said. He also assured that the command would intensify patrols along the Oke‑Ogun corridor, which has witnessed a spike in abductions in recent months.
The successful rescue of Chief Ganiyu Oyetola is the latest in a series of breakthroughs recorded by the Oyo State Police Command. In April 2026, operatives rescued a 70‑year‑old woman abducted from her farm in the Akinyele area and arrested three suspects. The command has also increased its collaboration with local vigilantes and hunters, who possess intimate knowledge of the forest terrain. However, the Oke‑Ogun region remains a hotspot for banditry, with criminal networks exploiting the dense vegetation and porous borders with Kwara and Ogun states to evade security forces.
The four suspects will be charged in court as soon as investigations are concluded. As the fight against insecurity continues, the message from the police command is clear: kidnappers have no hiding place in Oyo State.
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