Friday, August 14, 2026 - A suspected member of a kidnapping gang, Sanda Aliyu, has been arrested by the Kwara State Police Command over an alleged plan to purchase an AK-47 rifle for N1.6m in Kaiama Local Government Area of the state.
Aliyu was arrested by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping
Section on August 3, 2026, following actionable intelligence that he was
negotiating with one Aliyu Mohammed, who is currently at large, for the
procurement of the firearm.
The police said detectives immediately commenced an
operation based on the intelligence and apprehended Aliyu before the weapon
could be delivered.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the state
Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the suspect admitted
during interrogation that he was involved in the attempted arms transaction.
“The suspect voluntarily admitted his involvement in the
transaction and disclosed that N1.6m had already been paid towards the purchase
of the rifle.
“He further revealed that the purpose of acquiring the
firearm was to enable him to rise to the position of a ‘Boss’ within his
current kidnapping gang, before ultimately breaking away to establish and lead
his own criminal gang,” the PPRO said.
She added that investigators had commenced further
verification of the transaction to establish the identities of other
individuals connected with the attempted purchase and determine the extent of
the criminal network.
“The ongoing investigation is expected to provide further
leads into the circumstances surrounding the attempted acquisition, identify
other persons connected with the illicit arms transaction, establish the full
extent of the network, and unravel the broader criminal activities associated
with the gang,” Ejire-Adeyemi noted.
The development comes amid heightened security operations by
security agencies in parts of Kwara State following a series of kidnappings and
other violent crimes recorded in some communities.
Reacting to the arrest, the Commissioner of Police in Kwara
State, Ojo Adekimi, assured residents that the command would sustain its
intelligence-led operations against criminal elements across the state.
Adekimi, while acknowledging the strategic policing
direction of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, said the command
would continue to deploy its available lawful intelligence and operational
resources to protect residents.
“There will be no respite in the ongoing offensive against
criminal elements,” the CP said.
He added that the command would sustain its operations until
communities across the state were sufficiently secured and residents could go
about their activities without fear.
The police said the suspect remains in custody as the
investigation continues, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend Mohammed and
identify other persons allegedly connected with the attempted arms transaction.
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