Kwara: Police arrest two foreign nationals in foiled kidnap plot

Operatives of the Kwara State Police Command have arrested two foreign nationals identified as Yakubu Ismaila and Hadiza Kosia (female), both Togolese nationals, over an alleged foiled kidnap plot in Baruten Local Government Area of the state.

The police command recorded the successful disruption of a planned kidnapping and extortion scheme, leading to the arrest of the two suspects and the recovery of a mobile phone allegedly used in perpetrating the criminal act.

Spokesperson for the state police command, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, in a statement issued in Ilorin on Thursday, disclosed that the operation followed a report received at the Okuta Police Division from one S. Ismaila of Okuta, who reported that he had received a series of threatening telephone calls from an anonymous caller demanding the sum of ₦22 million to avert his planned abduction.

The suspect further threatened to kidnap the complainant and murder his younger brother, Musa Ismaila, if the demand was not met.

Upon receipt of the report, police operatives immediately activated intelligence-driven operational strategies.

In collaboration with the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and leveraging technical support, operatives swiftly tracked and arrested two suspects identified as Yakubu Ismaila (M) and Hadiza Kosia (F), both nationals of the Republic of Togo.

According to the spokesperson, “Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects were directly linked to the criminal conspiracy.

“During interrogation, both suspects confessed to their involvement in the attempted kidnapping and extortion plot.

“A mobile phone used to issue the threatening calls was recovered from one of the suspects and has been taken into police custody as a critical exhibit,” the statement added.

The State Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, commended the professionalism, prompt response and coordinated efforts of the operatives, whose swift action prevented what could have resulted in a serious security breach.

The commissioner reaffirmed the command’s unwavering commitment to intelligence-led policing and the relentless pursuit of all criminal elements operating within or attempting to infiltrate Kwara State.

He further assured residents that investigations have been intensified to identify and apprehend other members of the criminal network, who will be brought to justice.

The command urged members of the public to remain security-conscious and continue to provide timely, credible and actionable information to the police, stressing that public cooperation remains indispensable in sustaining the prevailing peace and security across the state.