A combined team of operatives from the Ondo State Police Command and local hunters has rescued a 60-year-old man, Tijani Aremu, after a fierce gun battle with his abductors that left three suspected kidnappers dead.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, disclosed in a statement on Friday that the operation was carried out by personnel from the Ikare Division working with forest hunters.
According to Olayinka, Aremu had been held for several days as his captors demanded millions of naira in ransom. He was rescued unhurt and has since been reunited with his family.
“During the exchange of gunfire, one suspect was shot dead on the spot, and a single-barreled rifle was recovered. A further search of the forest uncovered the bodies of two more fleeing suspects,” Olayinka said.
Two other suspects, identified as Yahaya Isa (20) and Ismail Ismail, were arrested alive during the raid.
The Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, commended the successful rescue, describing the collaboration between security operatives and local hunters as a model of effective community policing.
