Lagos: Army rescues two kidnapped farm workers, kills suspected kidnapper

Troops of the Nigerian Army’s 65 Battalion, working alongside the Nigeria Police Force and local vigilantes, have rescued two kidnap victims during a joint security operation in Igbonla, Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The operation followed the abduction of Kelvin Okafor and Alex Anato, who were reportedly kidnapped while working on a farm in the community on Friday, September 4, 2026.

The security operation was launched after troops received credible intelligence on the abduction and the suspected location where the victims were being held.

Acting on the information, troops of the 65 Battalion, supported by police operatives and local vigilantes, mobilised to the area and advanced towards the kidnappers’ hideout.

The suspects reportedly abandoned the two victims and fled into the surrounding forest after sighting the advancing security personnel.

The troops and other security operatives immediately gave chase, leading to an encounter with the fleeing suspects.

During the pursuit, one of the suspected kidnappers was neutralised, while two others reportedly escaped deeper into the forest.

The two rescued victims were said to be unhurt and were subsequently handed over to the police for medical assessment, debriefing and further necessary action.

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The remains of the neutralised suspect were also handed over to the police for appropriate procedures and further investigation.

The operation highlights the importance of intelligence sharing and cooperation between security agencies and local stakeholders in tackling kidnapping, particularly in rural and forested communities.

The Nigerian Army said it remains committed to protecting lives and property, adding that troops would continue to collaborate with other security agencies and local stakeholders to sustain intelligence-led operations against criminal elements.

The Army said such operations are aimed at denying criminal groups freedom of action, disrupting their networks and improving the safety and security of communities across the country.

Security personnel are expected to intensify efforts to locate the suspects who escaped during the operation and determine whether they are connected to other kidnapping incidents in the area.

The latest operation also underscores ongoing security concerns around isolated farming communities and forested areas, where criminal groups can exploit difficult terrain to carry out abductions and evade security personnel.

Residents have been urged to remain vigilant and provide security agencies with timely and credible information about suspicious activities that could assist ongoing efforts to combat kidnapping and other criminal activities.

Lagos: Army rescues two kidnapped farm workers, kills suspected kidnapper

Delta Police Arrest Minor, Five Others Over Alleged Illicit Drug Sales

Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have arrested six suspected drug dealers, including a 15-year-old female minor, during a raid on a store allegedly being used for the sale and distribution of illicit drugs in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of the state.

The suspects were arrested by operatives of the Department of Operations during a routine patrol along Alegwe Street, off Owa Road, Agbor, following information received by the police about suspected drug-related activities in the area.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed the arrests in a statement, saying the operation formed part of the ongoing crackdown on the sale and distribution of illicit drugs across Delta State.

According to Edafe, the operatives were acting on what the police described as credible intelligence when they raided a store suspected to be used as an outlet for the distribution of prohibited substances.

Those arrested were identified as Anabel Haruna, 18; Terhemen Faith, 19; Kaityo Abigail, 23; Iorkee Eunice, 26; and Osomuri Emmanuel, 31, alongside a 15-year-old female juvenile whose identity was withheld because she is a minor.

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During the operation, the police said a search of a vehicle linked to the suspects resulted in the recovery of Tramadol, Rohypnol and other substances suspected to be illicit drugs.

The recovered substances have been taken into police custody as exhibits, while the six suspects remain in custody as investigators work to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged activities.

The police said the investigation is also aimed at identifying and arresting other persons who may be connected to the suspected drug distribution network.

Edafe said the suspects would be charged to court after the conclusion of investigations and the completion of the necessary legal processes.

The operation comes as the Delta State Police Command intensifies efforts to tackle the distribution and abuse of illicit drugs, which authorities have linked to other forms of criminality and social disorder.

The Commissioner of Police in Delta State, CP Samuel E. Erale, has directed officers and personnel across the command to strengthen intelligence gathering and enforcement operations against individuals and groups suspected of dealing in illicit drugs.

Erale warned that the command would continue to target suspected drug trafficking and distribution networks operating in the state and would not allow Delta communities to become safe havens for criminal activities.

The Commissioner also called for sustained cooperation between residents and security agencies, urging members of the public to provide credible information that could assist the police in identifying suspected criminal activities in their communities.

The latest arrests highlight the continued concern over the circulation of controlled substances, particularly as law enforcement agencies across Nigeria intensify operations against the illicit drug trade.

The police said the investigation into the Agbor operation remains ongoing, with further arrests possible as investigators trace the source of the recovered substances and determine whether other individuals were involved.

Delta Police Arrest Minor, Five Others Over Alleged Illicit Drug Sales

‘I Needed Money for Wedding’ – Police Arrest Three Over N21m Kidnap Ransom in Lagos

They came from Agadagba community in Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State. Not to trade. Not to visit. They came to Lagos to kidnap. And as you read this piece, the Lagos State Police Command has apprehended three members of a cross-state kidnapping syndicate that abducted a businesswoman in the Ijedodo area of Lagos State, collected N21 million as ransom before her release. The suspects—Semi Buawe, 35; Oluwatomi Obosi, 37; and Bamure Telemowei—were traced to their hideout in Agadagba community, Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, by operatives of the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit. The gang’s leader, identified only as ID, was said to still be at large and alleged to be connected to kidnapping incidents across multiple states, police sources said.

According to police investigations, the gang planned its operations in Ondo State, travelled to Lagos for the abduction in April 2026, and returned to the same Ondo community immediately after collecting the ransom. Police said this pattern highlights the increasingly cross-border nature of kidnapping in the South-West. The victim, whose identity has been withheld, was held captive for three days in a bush in the Ijedodo area before her family paid the ransom. The ransom package was unusual: the family paid N21 million in cash, along with a bottle of Eagle Schnapps, a power bank, and one kilogramme of frozen turkey. When the gang ran out of food during captivity, they allegedly used the victim’s phone to transfer N150,000 to a POS operator around Ijedodo and collected it in cash. Buawe told investigators that the victim initially refused to eat any food provided by her captors. “On the third day, she agreed to eat biscuit and that was the only thing she ate in three days”. The victim’s family initially offered N16 million as ransom, but the gang leader, ID, rejected it and continued negotiations until N21 million was agreed upon. The ransom was reportedly collected in dollars.

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Speaking after his arrest, 35-year-old Buawe, a sawmill worker by trade, admitted participating in the abduction. He revealed that he had been involved in kidnapping since 2010 but had attempted to leave the trade. “I am an indigene of Agadagba in the Ese-Odo Local Government area of Ondo State. I worked at a saw mill in Ondo State. I was staying in Lagos before but I returned to my hometown to be doing business there”. “I have been into kidnapping since 2010 but ID and I were not in the same gang. He came to me in April that he had a job in Lagos and that he wanted me to be part of the operation. Initially, I declined because I had decided that I wanted to quit kidnapping. He kept calling and begging me. Later he brought some of his friends to beg me and I agreed to join them. They said they needed my experience of the knowledge of Lagos, since I have lived in Lagos”.

The gang had no specific target when they arrived in Lagos. ID instructed them to go to Ijedodo to look for any rich man. “We were walking, when ID suddenly stopped in front of a very beautiful duplex. He concluded that the owner of the house must be very rich. He went inside the house with one other member of the gang, Alfred, while Oluwatomi and I watched over the environment. Later he came out with a woman and we headed straight into the bush in the same area”. When the woman started shouting for help, a passerby tried to intervene, but ID brought out a gun and shot into the air, forcing the man to retreat. Buawe admitted that he was almost running away but ID cautioned him. Buawe said he received N1.5 million from the ransom and collected one of the victim’s two phones. “I did not even use the money for any tangible thing because the amount was small”. He later fell out with the gang leader after they returned to Ondo State. He gave the victim’s phone to a Hausa bureau de change operator who is yet to pay him, he said in regret.

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For the second suspect, Oluwatomi Obosi, his descent into the underworld began not with a gun, but with a mother’s prayer and a grandfather’s advice—a desperate quest for love that led him straight into a kidnapper’s den. With a voice heavy with regret, 37-year-old Tommy, as he is fondly called, said his mother advised him to be serious with relationships and marry. His grandfather reinforced the message, urging him to return to their hometown in Agadagba, Ondo State, to look for a decent girl and raise money for a proper marriage. In Agadagba, Tommy found a lady and proposed, but she insisted he must first secure the consent of her elder sister—a condition that would prove catastrophic. “It was in the process that I was introduced to ID, who was the leader of our gang. He was the husband of my girlfriend’s sister. When ID discovered I lived in Lagos, he told me about the kidnapping plan. He said he wanted me to be translating Yoruba language to other members of the gang, whenever the gang abducted a Yoruba victim. I only agreed to follow them for the operation because I needed money to marry as soon as possible”. Obosi received N2.5 million, which he believed was enough to start his new life. However, ID later collected N200,000 from each gang member after they returned to Agadagba. Today, the man who only wanted to make his mother proud and honour his grandfather’s wish sits in a police cell, his dreams of marriage shattered and his future uncertain.

Confirming the arrests, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said the command had intensified efforts to apprehend the fleeing gang leader. The suspects, she added, were currently in police custody and would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations. The police urged members of the public with useful information about the fleeing gang leader, ID, to report to the nearest police station. “There will be no hiding space for criminals in Lagos State,” Adebisi said.

‘I Needed Money for Wedding’ – Police Arrest Three Over N21m Kidnap Ransom in Lagos