Another Kidnaped Victim Rescued In Oyo

The Oyo State command of the Nigeria Police Force has rescued a five-year-old girl, Fikayo Gbemiga, who was abducted from her family’s residence in Lagelu Local Government Area of the state.

The police also arrested two suspected kidnappers after they allegedly demanded a ₦10 million ransom for her release.

The police identified the suspects as Seyi Adegboye and Adefemi Adegboye, saying the victim was rescued unharmed during a coordinated operation carried out by operatives of the command’s anti-kidnapping squad.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Olayinka Ayanlade, disclosed the development in a statement on Wednesday.

According to Ayanlade, the five-year-old was abducted on July 3, 2026, after the suspects allegedly gained unlawful access to her family’s residence at Iyana Offa in Lagelu Local Government Area.

He said the suspects subsequently contacted the family and demanded N10m as ransom for the child’s release.

“The suspects were arrested by the anti-kidnapping squads who deployed technological and other investigative tools to trace and identify the suspects,” Ayanlade said.

The police spokesman explained that sustained intelligence gathering and investigative efforts led operatives to the suspects’ hideout in the Mojoyin Molade area of Iwo Road, Ibadan.

“The sustained operation culminated in the arrest of the principal suspects on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at about 10:30 p.m. at their hideout in the Mojoyin Molade area of Iwo Road, Ibadan.

“The preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects unlawfully gained access to the complainant’s residence and abducted the five-year-old victim and subsequently demanded a ransom of N10 million for her release.

“Acting on credible intelligence generated during the course of the investigation, operatives stormed the suspects’ hideout where the victim was rescued unharmed at about 10:35 p.m.,” he said.

Ayanlade added that the swift operation prevented the suspects from relocating the child or escaping arrest.

The police further disclosed that preliminary investigations revealed the suspects had already received part of the ransom before their arrest.

“The investigation established that the suspects had earlier received ₦1 million as ransom in Gbongan, Osun State, penultimate Wednesday,” the police spokesman stated.

He added that the suspects were cooperating with investigators as efforts continued to recover the ransom already collected and track down other members of the kidnapping syndicate still at large.

According to him, the command remains committed to dismantling criminal networks operating within and around the state.

Naija News reports that the latest rescue comes barely two days after the Oyo State Police Command secured the freedom of a 60-year-old farmer, Mathew Owoade, who was abducted along the Igbojaye-Budo Aare bush road in Itesiwaju Local Government Area of the state.

The command had attributed Owoade’s rescue to the immediate deployment of a coordinated joint security operation and sustained investigative efforts.

The recent operations form part of intensified efforts by security agencies to tackle kidnapping and other violent crimes across Oyo State, with the police assuring residents that ongoing intelligence-led operations would continue until criminal gangs operating in the state are brought to justice.