Four persons were on Sunday arrested by personnel of the Oyo State Police Command and the Amotekun Corps at Odo-Osa area of Ilora in Afijio Local Government of Oyo State for allegedly kidnapping a woman.
The suspects who were said to be Fulanis reportedly stormed the home of a couple, Mr and Mrs Olayiwola at Odo-Osa along Ilu Aje in Ilora in the wee hour of Sunday, March 9, 2025, around 12am where they successfully kidnapped the wife, Mrs. Bukola Olayiwola, a teacher at Ilora Baptist Grammar School.
Vice-Chairman of Ilora Development Association (IDA), Mr Rahman Bello who narrated the incident, told LEADERSHIP that a six-member gang of kidnappers invaded the residence of the Olayiwolas around 12am shouting at the couple to ‘open the doors.’
“As the husband noticed this, he escaped through the backdoor and alerted the people, but his wife was already kidnapped. The people came out and saw the suspects but feared that they were armed with guns, so they refrained from pursuing them,” Bello Said.
He commended the police DPO, Ilora, CSP Mojeed Lawal and the Amotekun Corps for chasing the suspects to their hideouts and subsequently arresting four of the six suspects.
“In the long run, the DPO and his team, Amotekun and the committee people pursued them to their hideout and rescued the wife and arrested four kidnappers while two escaped,” he said.
Bello further explained that the abductors were familiar with the abducted woman who vividly recognised them as individuals that always patronised to buy petty items like sachet water from her.
“She pleaded with them not kill her, begging that she used to sell and give them water. If not for the timely intervention of the security agents and our people, they could have killed her for recognising them,” the IDA vice chairman stated.
Bello explained further that one of the suspects was engaged as a guard to secure a fenced land estimated to be about 10 acres, about a mile to the victims’ residence.
He added that the guard brought the other five individuals to his place with whom the kidnapping was staged.
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Ilora, CSP Lawal confirmed the incident, adding that the suspects have been handed over to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Oyo Police Command for further interrogation.
He commended the Akibio of Ilora, Oba Samuel Olufemi Oparinde, the DPO, security operatives and the chairman of IDA, Elder Remi Olaniyan for their roles in the rescue of the kidnapped teacher.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Oyo State Command, Osifeso Adewale who answered the phone call of our correspondent, said he was in an official engagement.
He was yet to respond to the message sent to him as at the time of filing this report.
