Ekiti security team nabs suspected kidnapper, rescues two victims

Security forces in Ekiti State have rescued two individuals, Iorfa Solomon, 35, and Blessing Kingsley, 37, who were held hostage by kidnappers. The rescue occurred within a forest straddling the Ekiti and Kogi state borders. During the operation, a suspected kidnapper, Abubakar Kabiru, was apprehended.

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The Police operatives in collaboration with the military, Amotekun Corps and the local vigilantes, while on bush combing operations, discovered a den of kidnappers inside the forest between Irele-Ekiti in Ekiti State and Ogbe in Kogi State where two victims, Solomon and Kingsley, were held hostage.

According to police spokesperson Sunday Abutu, the victims were abducted on the night of June 4, 2026, from Aluta Bar in Ikoyi, Kogi State. Abutu detailed that the joint security team, comprising police, military, Amotekun Corps, and local vigilantes, discovered the kidnappers' den while conducting bush combing operations. The suspects engaged the operatives in a gun duel, leading to the arrest of one individual while others fled.

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Upon sighting the operatives, the suspected kidnappers engaged them in a gun duel and in the process, one of the suspects was arrested while other members of the gang escaped. Meanwhile, the two victims were rescued unhurt.

The rescued victims recounted that approximately eight armed assailants surrounded them at the bar, firing into the air before forcing them into the forest. The arrested suspect, Kabiru, confessed to the crime and identified the victims, who also identified him as one of their abductors. He named seven other gang members who are currently at large, and efforts are underway to apprehend them.

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Investigation revealed that the two victims were kidnapped while on duty at Aluta Bar, Ikoyi in Kogi State on 4th June, 2026 at about 9pm.

Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Michael Falade, has called for increased public vigilance and cooperation with security agencies to combat crime in the state.

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The victims narrated that the hoodlums numbering about eight, armed with guns, surrounded them at the bar, shot sporadically into the air and whisked the two of them away into the forest while other people at the bar managed to escape.