The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a suspected kidnapping kingpin believed to be a central figure in the state’s expanding abduction and ransom network, just hours after the Department of State Services (DSS) detained a medical doctor accused of treating bandits operating across the Kwara–Niger forest axis.
The coordinated security operations, described by sources as the most significant disruption of kidnapping rings in months, are already exposing the financial, medical and arms-support infrastructure sustaining criminal gangs in the state.
Police operatives arrested the suspect, identified as Aliu Abubakar, on Friday, December 3, at the Oro-Ago Motor Park in Ifelodun Local Government Area, following intelligence provided by residents of the troubled community.
A police source was reported to have said that the suspect initially claimed he was travelling to visit a relative named “Zarumi,” but inconsistencies in his account triggered further checks.
A digital forensic sweep of his mobile phone allegedly uncovered explicit photos and videos showing Abubakar brandishing an AK-47 rifle alongside three armed collaborators identified as Buba, Auta, and Bello Smally.
Investigators also found images of the suspect displaying bundles of cash believed to be ransom proceeds from multiple kidnapping operations across the forest corridors.
“He eventually confessed to being an active member of a kidnapping syndicate and admitted that the money seen in the recordings represented ransom payments shared among the group,” a senior police officer stated.
The breakthrough came hours after DSS operatives arrested a medical doctor accused of providing bandits with pharmaceutical supplies and treatment for gunshot wounds and other injuries sustained during raids.
Security officials say the doctor’s arrest has helped unravel the medical support network used by kidnappers who have terrorised communities around Kwara–Niger border forests.
Friday’s arrest also followed another major interception along the Gbugbu–Patigi axis in which a courier linked to the same network was caught with 100 rounds of live ammunition allegedly destined for armed cells operating within the forests.
Intelligence sources describe the syndicate as “structured, well-funded, and deeply embedded in rural communities,” with roles ranging from arms procurement to medical care and ransom negotiation.
“This is a major disruption to the ecosystem of violent crime operating quietly through rural communities,” one operative noted.
Residents of Oro-Ago, who have endured repeated attacks, night raids, and forced ransom payments, welcomed the arrests but urged authorities to ensure the case does not collapse as previous high-profile arrests did.
For years, community members have accused security agencies of arresting suspects only for them to “mysteriously disappear” or “reappear back in the bush.”
The police say Abubakar is in custody and providing what investigators call “actionable intelligence” expected to lead to additional arrests, including arms merchants, financiers, and community-based collaborators.
The latest developments mark a new phase in the security crackdown on kidnapping gangs whose activities have crippled farming, commerce, and inter-community travel across Kwara’s rural belt.
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