The Ondo State Police Command on Tuesday said it had arrested five persons suspected to be kidnappers inside a forest in the Owo-Ifon area of Ose Local Government Area of the state.
The command said the suspects were arrested while the men of the command were searching for the killers of one of its officers, James Ogunleye, who was killed by some unidentified gunmen who also took away his rifle.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr Olayinka Ayanlade.
In the statement, some firearms were said to have also been recovered from the suspects, who are identified as Friday Monday, Ashimi Wahab, James Odina, Ibrahim Idris, and Prince Areeh.
Ayanlade said, “As part of the ongoing efforts by the Ondo State Police Command to apprehend the assailants responsible for the gruesome murder of late Supol James Ogunleye and recover his service rifle, operatives of the command’s Tactical Teams have intensified their operations through aggressive bush combing and intelligence-led patrols across identified flashpoints.
“The sustained operations yielded positive results in the early hours of today, October 26, 2025, at about 0300hrs, when operatives arrested five suspected kidnappers inside Amurin Forest, within the Owo–Ifon area of the state.
“During the operation, the police team recovered a single-barrelled gun loaded with a live cartridge from the suspects.
The recovered firearm and the arrested suspects are currently in police custody for further investigation.”
According to the statement, the Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, who commended the officers involved in the operation for their professionalism and resilience, further directed that the investigation be expanded to uncover other members of the gang, as well as to trace and recover the service rifle of the slain officer.
“The Ondo State Police Command will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the perpetrators of violent crimes are brought to justice and that peace and security are sustained across the state,” the statement concluded.
PUNCH Metro reported earlier that the Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun Corps, arrested no fewer than 10 suspected criminals across the state for allegedly being involved in various criminal activities.
The commander of the corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, who spoke while parading some of the suspects on Monday, in Akure, the state capital, said the suspects were notorious and had been terrorising the people of the state in recent times.
According to the commander, some of the suspects were Ogungbemi Adebayo, Nasiru Suleiman, Saliu Nureni, and Ahmed Oladimeji. Adeleye, said one of the suspects, Adedayo, was arrested for allegedly being an informant to the criminal Fulani herdmen who had been kidnapping residents of the state.
Credit: punchng.com
