Police said the suspect identified as Buba Lawal, was intercepted by local vigilantes in Oko community in Ifelodun LGA of Kwara State.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Kwara State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a man suspected to be an arms supplier to a notorious kidnapping network operating around the Kwara-Kogi axis.
The suspect, Buba Lawal, a native of Okoloke Village in the Egbe area of Kogi State, was intercepted by local vigilante operatives on patrol in Oko community, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, while attempting to deliver ammunition to the kidnappers.
Lawal was reportedly moving suspiciously through the area when the vigilantes spotted him.
A search conducted on the spot led to the discovery of an AK-47 magazine loaded with eight rounds of live ammunition, carefully concealed on his body.
A source said he was subsequently handed over to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Kwara State Police Command for further investigation.
Confirming the arrest, the spokesperson of the command, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said further interrogation revealed that he was on an errand to deliver the ammunition to three suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate.
She listed the suspects’ names as Shehu, Babi, and Ali “believed to be hiding in the forests straddling the Kwara-Kogi boundary.”
“He (Lawal) admitted working closely with the group, providing them with arms and logistical support for their criminal operations, including several high-profile abductions in the region.” Ejire-Adeyemi further said.
