Police arrest 3 kidnappers, recover N2.2m ransom in Osun

The Osun State Police Command has arrested three suspected kidnappers involved in the abduction of herders in Wasinmi and Ijebu-Jesa areas of the state.

The Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, disclosed this during the parade of suspects at the command headquarters in Osogbo, the state capital, on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.

Gotan said one of the suspects was arrested for allegedly kidnapping a 50-year-old herder in a remote settlement near Wasinmi Village along the Gbongan–Ife/Ibadan Road on July 9.

Gotan said the suspect was apprehended on July 12 by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), Anti-Kidnapping Section, while attempting to collect ransom from the victim’s relatives.

“On sighting police operatives, the suspect’s gang opened fire, leading to a gun duel. Some of the suspects were shot but escaped with gunshot injuries,” he said.

The police commissioner, however, disclosed the suspect was arrested with gunshot wounds and had been taken to hospital for treatment.

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Gotan said N2.2 million, suspected to be ransom proceeds, was recovered at the scene, adding that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects.

Gotan said another suspected member of a kidnapping gang was arrested while attempting to kidnap a herder in a settlement in Ijebu-Jesa on May 7.

Gotan revealed that the arrest of the suspect led to the apprehension of another suspect in Iseyin, Oyo State.

The police commission disclosed that other suspects were also arrested across the state for various offences.

He said all the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.