Kwara police nab two suspects in separate kidnap operations, foil ₦1.6m AK-47 deal
The Kwara State Police Command says it has recorded a major breakthrough in its ongoing crackdown on kidnapping, arresting two suspects linked to separate criminal operations and foiling an alleged attempt to acquire an AK-47 rifle for a new kidnapping gang.
One of the suspects, identified as Sanda Aliyu, was arrested in Kaiama Local Government Area on August 3, 2026, while allegedly negotiating the purchase of an AK-47 rifle.
According to the command, Aliyu, who was suspected to be a member of an existing kidnapping gang, had allegedly paid ₦1.6 million towards the purchase of the firearm before operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Section moved in and arrested him.
The police said Aliyu was negotiating with another suspect, Aliyu Mohammed, who allegedly arranged to supply the weapon but remains at large.
Police spokesperson, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said preliminary investigation revealed that Aliyu intended to use the rifle to establish himself as a major figure in the criminal underworld.
“Aliyu disclosed that he wanted to acquire the AK-47 to rise to the position of a ‘Boss’ within his existing kidnapping gang,” Ejire-Adeyemi said.
She added that the suspect allegedly planned to eventually leave the gang and establish and lead his own criminal group.
The arrest, according to the command, prevented the arms transaction from being completed and has opened further investigations into the suspected kidnapping network, the source of the ₦1.6 million, the intended supplier and the planned use of the firearm.
In a separate but related breakthrough, police also arrested Muhamodu Sanni, who was allegedly linked to a kidnapping syndicate operating around the Obudu/Woru axis of Ilorin East Local Government Area.
Sanni was reportedly arrested while attempting to cash out ransom proceeds allegedly connected to a recent abduction.
The investigation followed an armed invasion of Obudu Village on July 28, 2026, during which three people were abducted.
The command said its operatives subsequently expanded their intelligence gathering beyond the immediate abduction to examine the syndicate’s financial, logistical and communication networks.
That wider investigation, police said, eventually led them to Sanni as an alleged part of the support structure facilitating the kidnapping operation.
The two arrests highlight what the command described as an intelligence-led approach targeting not only suspected kidnappers in the field but also the financial and logistical networks that sustain their operations.
Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, said the command would sustain its offensive against criminal elements across the state.
“There will be no respite in the ongoing offensive against criminal elements,” Adekimi said.
The commissioner urged residents to continue providing actionable information to security agencies, saying timely intelligence could help authorities intercept arms trafficking, kidnapping plans and other criminal activities before they are carried out.
