Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
In the early hours of May 5, 2026, at about 3:25 am, a frantic complaint reached the Ijebu‑Jesa Police Station: armed men had attacked a cattle settlement in the Iloko area, abducted a Fulani herder named Yahaya Sulaimon and vanished into the night. For weeks, the case appeared to have stalled, but on the morning of Tuesday, May 19, 2026, the Osun State Police Command called a press conference at its headquarters in Osogbo and announced a major breakthrough: three members of an interstate kidnapping syndicate were now in custody, a locally fabricated automatic gun had been recovered, and the victim had been rescued alive, though not before being stabbed in the chest and stomach by his fleeing captors. The announcement, made by Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Gotan, also coincided with the formal launch of the command's Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), a new specialized team ordered by the Inspector‑General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, to confront the rising tide of violent crime across the state.
The story of how the three suspects were captured began on the very night of the abduction. Acting on Gotan's directive, police operatives immediately launched an intelligence‑led search operation, combing the dense bushes along the Iloko‑Ijesa axis in collaboration with local security groups. As the search team pushed deeper into the forested terrain, they inadvertently caught up with the abductors. Instead of surrendering, the kidnappers attacked the victim one last time, stabbing him in the chest and stomach before fleeing deeper into the bush. The seriously wounded Sulaimon was quickly rescued by the police team and rushed to a hospital, where he received emergency treatment and was ultimately stabilised. Undeterred, the law enforcement team continued its sweep of the area, and in the process arrested the first suspect, Umaru Adamu. A search of his person led to the recovery of one locally fabricated automatic gun and three live cartridges.
With the first suspect in custody, Commissioner Gotan ordered the case transferred to the command's Anti‑Kidnapping Unit for a more detailed, intelligence‑driven investigation. Over the following days, detectives worked to trace communications and establish the identity of the kidnappers' wider network. The effort paid off: further leads pointed to two other men, both of whom had apparently fled Osun State to avoid capture. Investigators tracked Nasir Yahya, aged 21, to Ajase in Kwara State, while 24‑year‑old Umar Yahya was arrested in the Sabo‑Ibodi area of Ilesa. Both men were brought back to Osogbo, and all three suspects were formally paraded before journalists at the police headquarters on Tuesday. According to CP Gotan, the syndicate is believed to have been involved in a series of abductions across state lines, and the investigation is still ongoing to identify and apprehend other members of the gang.
The victim, Yahaya Sulaimon, was not the target of a random attack. According to the original report filed at Ijebu‑Jesa, about six armed men stormed the cattle garden, assaulted the complainant who raised the alarm, and then specifically demanded to know where Sulaimon was. He was abducted by name, suggesting the syndicate had been watching him in advance. In the days following the abduction, relatives and community sources confirmed that the kidnappers demanded a steep ransom of ₦70 million for his release, an amount that reflected the growing audacity of such criminal enterprises. While police did not disclose whether any ransom had been paid before Sulaimon's rescue, his survival—despite being stabbed by his captors when they realised the police were closing in—stands as a rare success story in a region where kidnapping for ransom has become alarmingly routine.
Commissioner Gotan used the press conference to both celebrate the work of his officers and to underscore the challenges ahead. "The suspects were apprehended following a coordinated and intelligence-led operation involving police personnel and local security groups," he told reporters. He also used the opportunity to announce the formal inauguration of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), a specialised formation designed to act as a rapid‑deployment force against armed robberies, kidnapping rings and other serious offences. The launch of the VCRU had been pushed by the Inspector‑General of Police as part of a broader effort to modernise the Nigeria Police Force, and its establishment in Osun was seen as a direct response to the recent spate of abductions that have rattled the South‑West. Just one day earlier, on May 18, the Inspector‑General had personally ordered the deployment of the VCRU in states across the federation, and Osun complied with speed.
Despite the breakthrough, the Osun State Police Command has made it clear that it is not resting on its success. The search for the remaining members of the syndicate continues, and investigators are working to determine whether the same group was responsible for other abductions in the area. The recovery of a locally fabricated automatic gun and live ammunition also raises troubling questions about how criminal networks in the region are arming themselves. For the people of Ijebu‑Jesa and surrounding communities, however, the arrest of the three suspects offers a rare moment of relief. The Iloko area, where the abduction took place, has been under a shadow of fear since May 5, with herders and farmers alike avoiding night movements and keeping watch over their livestock. Now, with the arrest of Umaru Adamu, Nasir Yahya, and Umar Yahya, the community may finally feel that justice is moving in the right direction.
The Press conference in Osogbo ended with a pledge from Commissioner Gotan that the command would continue to work tirelessly to rid the state of violent criminals. He thanked the local security volunteers who assisted in the bush combing operation and appealed to residents to keep providing credible information to the police. The three suspects remain in custody and will face charges in court as soon as the investigation is concluded. For Yahaya Sulaimon, who is still recovering from his stab wounds, the return of his freedom came at a high price, but the sight of his captors in handcuffs may yet be part of his healing.
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