The Kogi State government said it has uncovered a network of criminal collaborators aiding kidnapping gangs across parts of the state.
In a statement on Sunday, the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Hon. Kingsley Fanwo said joint security forces initiated a series of targeted operations in Kabba/Bunu, Ijumu, Yagba East, and Yagba West Local Government Areas in response to recent spikes in insecurity.
He said the operations followed the kidnapping and subsequent death of a retired Army officer from Odo-Ape, the abduction of a prominent farmer from Ponyan in Yagba East, and other similar incidents in Yagba West.
He said that the abducted farmer and several others were freed within days through sustained security efforts.
‘One of the key revelations from these operations emerged from the case of the late Samson Enietan, a notorious criminal informant who was alleged to have committed suicide after his activities were exposed’, the statement reads.
He said: ‘While preliminary claims suggest he committed suicide, the Kogi State Government disputes this version of events, pointing instead to a likely internal execution by fellow conspirators, afraid he might expose more names’.
Fanwo said that, in a related operation, victims kidnapped from Kiri in Kabba/Bunu were also rescued.
He said that their testimonies provided critical leads, including the arrest of Babatunde Aledare, a native of Ayetoro Kiri, who confessed to being a key informant within the criminal network.
The statement further read: ‘His revelations have led to more arrests in the past 48 hours, confirming the existence of a well-coordinated internal network enabling the operations of kidnapping gangs in Kogi State.
‘Further investigations have brought to light some shocking collaboration patterns from unlikely quarters. Evidence points to some bread sellers and sachet water factories supplying food and water directly to kidnappers in forest hideouts.
‘These supplies are often transported by motorcycle operators acting as couriers between town-based vendors and criminal camps in the bush. This logistical link has allowed criminal elements to remain embedded in remote areas for extended periods’.
The commissioner said that some fuel stations were also found complicit in selling petrol in containers for delivery to kidnappers, enabling them to power their operations.
He said the government has vowed to dismantle this illicit supply chain.
He warned: ‘Any individual or business caught aiding the operations of kidnappers, whether through sales, logistics, or land provision, will be treated as a direct accomplice and will face the full weight of the law.
‘No one, regardless of status or position, will be spared if found guilty of enabling or abetting criminality’.
