Five arrested as police search for two kidnapped persons in Osun

By Olajide Idowu

Five suspects have been arrested over the alleged kidnapping of two residents of Ora-Igbomina in Ifedayo Local Government Area of Osun state.

The two victims were kidnapped in the town at midnight on Sunday.

The five suspects were arrested during the combing of the forest for the two victims who were abducted by yet to be identified gunmen on Sunday, spokesperson for Osun police command, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed on Tuesday in Osogbo.

He added that the more officers have been deployed to comb the forest in the town in an effort to rescue the two men abducted by suspected gunmen on Sunday.

“The five suspects were found by the police and local vigilantes during a search of the forest for the abducted persons.

“Ongoing investigations will reveal whether the suspects are part of the kidnapping ring,” he said.

The Osun Police spokesperson noted that following a kidnapping incident in the town in December 2025, more police officers had been deployed to the area to ensure such incidents did not recur.

“After the first kidnapping in Ora-Igbomina, we deployed enough officers to the town to ensure that such an incident did not happen again.

“Unfortunately, on the day of the incident, our officers on patrol returned to their base at about 11:45 p.m. due to heavy rainfall that night.

“It was after the police team returned to their base that the gunmen abducted the victims a few minutes past midnight,” he said.

He added that the police and local vigilantes were still combing the forests to rescue the victims.

The Osun Police spokesperson further appealed to residents of the town to always alert the police and other security agencies whenever they notice strange faces in the community.

A retired Customs officer was similarly abducted by gunmen in the same town in December.

But he was later rescued on Jan. 12 in Oro-Ago town, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara.

(NAN)