Security operatives from the Oyo State Police Command have successfully rescued a 15-year-old boy unharmed and neutralised a suspected kidnapper following a heavy exchange of gunfire along the Awe–Iwo Road axis.
​The victim, identified as Sumaila Muhammadu, was abducted six days earlier on October 18, 2026, from the Onidundun area of Akinyele Local Government Area.
​According to an official statement issued on Sunday, October 25, 2026, by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, the breakthrough came after the command received actionable intelligence at approximately 5:00 p.m. on October 22, 2026, regarding a ransom demand made by the abduction syndicate.
​Following the disclosure, the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, CP Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, directed tactical teams from the Anti-Kidnapping Section (AKS) to launch an immediate counter-operation in close synergy with the Oyo Zone Vigilante Group of Nigeria.
​Joint operatives tracked the armed gang to their hideout around the Pipeline, Ajagba axis along the Awe–Iwo Road. At approximately 9:30 p.m., as the security team advanced on the location, the kidnappers opened fire, triggering a fierce shootout.
​During the engagement, the joint security forces overpowered the gang. One unidentified suspected kidnapper was shot and later confirmed dead at a hospital, while several accomplices escaped into the surrounding bush with gunshot wounds. The 15-year-old victim was safely rescued without sustaining injuries.
​”The Commissioner of Police, CP Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, has ordered intensive bush-combing operations around the area to track down and arrest the fleeing members of the criminal syndicate.” stated by DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, Police Public Relations Officer.
​CP Olugbenga reaffirmed the command’s commitment to dismantling kidnapping networks in the state through intelligence-led operations and collaboration with local vigilance groups.
​The command urged members of the public and medical practitioners to report anyone seen with suspicious bullet wounds to the nearest police station or via the Oyo State emergency lines.
