”In a bid to flush out criminal elements, especially kidnappers out of the state, a combined team of the Police, NSCDC, Amotekun, OPC and local hunters embarked on a bush combing operation through Oke-Osun, Ikere/Igbo-Okah, to the thick forest around Iju/Ikere boundary.
“During the Operation, five suspected kidnappers – Usman Jelili, Mohammed Bande, Abubakar Aliu, Isah Abdulahi and Suleiman Abdulahi, were arrested.
During interrogation, the suspects claimed to be herdsmen but it was later discovered that none of them have cattle and no cattle was found with them in the forest where they were arrested.
“The following items were found with them in the forest – two motorcycles, one cutlass, one jack knife/ dagger and four mobile phones.
Killing of 2 Ekiti royal fathers
Earlier, some dare-devil kidnap suspects, on Monday evening, shot and killed two traditional rulers said to be returning from a security meeting in Irele-Ekiti.
The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP. Sunday Abutu, confirmed the killing to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti but said that details about the incident were still sketchy.
Abutu said that necessary action was ongoing, saying that the Tactical and Intelligence teams of the command had been deployed to the area of the incident.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the deceased included the Elesun of Esun-Ekiti, Oba David Ogunsakin, and Onimojo of Omojola-Ekiti, Oba Olatunde Olusola.
It was learnt that they were killed between Oke-Ako and Ipao-Ekiti, located in Ajoni Local Government Area (LGA).
It was further gathered that the Alara of Ara-Ekiti in Ikole LGA escaped when the armed men accosted them and attempted to forcefully take them away.
In a reaction to the incident, the Chairman of Ajoni Local Council Development Area, Micheal Ogungbemi, said the gunmen tried to abduct the three traditional rulers.
Ogungbemi said it was “quite unfortunate that two of the Obas lost their lives during the incident”.
Ekiti State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of five suspected kidnappers, 24 hours after the killing of two traditional rulers in the state.
