The Kwara State Police Command has arrested three women suspected of being the wives of kidnappers for allegedly smuggling an AK-47 rifle and 31 rounds of live ammunition to their husbands hiding in a forest within the state.
The suspects—Aisha Haruna, Rabi Umaru, and Fatimoh Abubakar—were intercepted at Babanla Motor Park following credible intelligence, according to the Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, who briefed journalists over the weekend.
Ojo said the women were passengers in a vehicle flagged down for a routine search when one of them suddenly jumped out and fled into the nearby bush upon sighting police operatives. Her suspicious behavior prompted a thorough search of the vehicle, leading to the discovery of the assault rifle and ammunition concealed inside one of the women’s bags.
“One of the suspects confessed that she was given the weapon by a man identified only as ‘Mai-Gowaye’ in Kaduna State, with instructions to deliver it to another individual known as ‘Saleh’ inside the Baba-Sango forest,” CP Ojo revealed.
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He added that another suspect admitted she was en route to the forest to meet her husband, a confirmed member of a kidnap-for-ransom gang operating in the area.
The woman who fled, believed to also be a kidnapper’s wife, remains at large. Police have intensified surveillance around the Baba-Sango forest and its environs to apprehend fleeing suspects and dismantle the criminal network.
In a related development, CP Ojo disclosed the arrest of two men, Suleiman Jamiu and Mumini Mohammed, in Share, Ifelodun Local Government Area. The duo was found in possession of N11.3 million in cash, suspected to be proceeds from kidnapping activities.
Ojo assured the public that the command remains committed to rooting out criminal elements from the state and urged citizens to support security agencies by providing timely and actionable information.
“We will continue to push hard to ensure that Kwara remains unsafe for criminals and their collaborators,” he said.