Kwara police arrest 15-year old murder suspect, 17 kidnap suspects in major crackdown

By Ahmed Abdulfatai

The Kwara State Police Command has arrested a 15-year-old boy, Gobir Yusuf, over the alleged murder of a woman identified as Mrs. Akanbi, alongside 17 suspected kidnappers and several other suspects linked to cultism and attempted homicide, THE PRIME NEWS reports.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Adekimi Ojo, disclosed this on Friday while briefing journalists in Ilorin on recent security operations carried out by the command.

According to the police chief, the teenage suspect allegedly killed the victim on January 14, 2026, at the residence where he lived with her.

He reportedly hid behind a door and attacked the woman while she was bathing, using household items including a frying pan, kitchen knives, a turning stick and a weighing scale.

During interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed that the act was driven by resentment.

Police said he had earlier attempted to poison the victim by contaminating her soup and watermelon, but the attempts failed before the fatal assault.

Items recovered from the suspect included the frying pan, kitchen knives and the turning stick allegedly used in the attack.

Police said that after committing the crime, the suspect changed his clothes and left the house under the pretext of running an errand.

He later contacted the victim’s husband, who returned home and discovered his wife’s lifeless body in a pool of blood.

THE PRIME NEWS reports that the commissioner said the suspect would be charged to court once investigations are concluded.

In a separate development, the command also arrested 17 suspected kidnappers during various operations across the state.

Among them were Bello Ori, Muhammad Jemarr and Mohammad Shehu, who were linked to the alleged abduction of construction workers along the Owu Falls Road in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state.

Their arrest on February 26, 2026, followed digital tracking of one of the victims’ stolen mobile phones that was found to be in active use.

The police said investigations are ongoing to track and apprehend other accomplices connected to the crime.

Another group of ten suspected kidnappers was arrested on March 1, 2026, in Oro-Ago, also in Ifelodun Local Government Area.

During the operation, security operatives recovered ten motorcycles believed to have been used by the syndicate.

Police also arrested a mechanic suspected to be maintaining the motorcycles and a logistics operative accused of supplying fuel and other operational support to the gang.

In a related operation, three additional suspects, Zubairu Abubakar, Alhaji Issa and Abdullahi Alhaji Yahaya were apprehended by officers attached to the Special Police Unit during a stop-and-search operation along the Duro/Kpada Road in Patigi.

During the search, operatives recovered a locally made revolver loaded with six rounds of live AK-47 ammunition from the suspects, who were unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for the firearm.

The police command also confirmed the arrest of three suspected cultists identified as AbdulRasheed Hammed (also known as Baniq), Abdulganiyy Abdulafeez (Jagaban) and Muhammed Nuhu Wahab (Honorable).

Recovered from them were a locally made silver pistol with two live rounds of ammunition, a locally made shotgun, a single-barrel pump-action firearm, two large portrait images bearing the insignia of the Neo Black Movement of Africa, two battle axes and assorted charms believed to be used for criminal fortification.

Police authorities said investigations into the cases are ongoing as efforts continue to dismantle criminal networks operating across the state.