Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Kogi State Police Command has recorded another operational success in its sustained offensive against kidnapping and other violent crimes, rescuing a kidnapped victim and neutralising one suspected kidnapper during a joint security operation in Ayegunle Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area. The operation, which took place in the early hours of Friday, July 17, 2026, followed the abduction of Abubakar Kabiru, a resident of Nila Forest Camp in Ayegunle Gbede, who was whisked away from his residence by armed kidnappers.
Upon receiving a distress report, the Divisional Police Officer of Ayetoro Gbede Division immediately mobilised a joint team comprising Police operatives, officers of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), personnel on Special Duty, and local vigilantes to the Olle-Bunu Forest, where the kidnappers had fled with their captive. The security team engaged the abductors in a fierce gun duel, during which one of the suspected kidnappers was fatally shot, forcing the remaining gang members to flee into the forest and abandon their victim.
The rescued victim, who sustained a gunshot injury during the incident, is currently receiving medical treatment. During the operation, the joint team recovered the corpse of the neutralised suspect alongside an Italian-made pump-action gun with breach number 5882. The suspect’s body has been deposited at the General Hospital Mortuary in Ayetoro Gbede, while the firearm has been taken into Police custody as an exhibit.
The operation came less than 24 hours after the Command rescued four kidnapped victims in Dekina Local Government Area, underscoring intensified efforts to tackle kidnapping and violent crimes across the state. Commending the bravery of the operatives and local vigilantes involved in the operation, the Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to leveraging community policing and intelligence-led operations to safeguard lives and property across Kogi State. He assured residents that efforts were ongoing to track down the fleeing suspects, dismantle the criminal network and bring all those involved to justice.
The Police Commissioner also appealed to members of the public to continue supporting security agencies with timely and credible information to strengthen the fight against kidnapping and other violent crimes in the state. The Kogi State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday evening, providing details of the successful operation.
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