Police Intercept Kidnapping Ring In Ondo, Arrest Five Suspects

The Ondo State Police Command has arrested five suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate linked to the abduction of two schoolchildren in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.

The victims, identified as Jehu, 10, and Yohana, 5, were reportedly kidnapped on May 12, 2026, while on their way to school in the Jerry Sawmill area of Ore.

Confirming the development in a statement on Thursday, the Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, said the breakthrough followed a complaint lodged by the father of the victims, Andrew Yohana, after the children were whisked away by unknown persons.

He said detectives attached to the Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad immediately launched intelligence-driven investigations, which led to the arrest of two suspects, Taofeek Lukman, 23, and Blessing Saturday, 27, in the Alaba area of Ore.

According to the police spokesman, operatives recovered N251,000 suspected to be part of the ransom paid by the family before the release of the children, while an unregistered motorcycle allegedly used for the operation was also recovered from one of the suspects’ hideouts.

Jimoh added that further investigation led to the identification and arrest of three additional suspects, namely Peter Moses, 25, Sunday Isaac, 23, and Sanusi Dan Asabe, 37, who were allegedly also linked to the syndicate.

“The suspects have made useful confessional statements detailing their individual roles in the kidnapping operation and will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigation,” the statement read.

Reacting, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Felix Ohagwu, commended the operatives for what he described as professionalism and intelligence-led policing, while assuring residents that the command would sustain its crackdown on kidnapping and other violent crimes across the state.