Kwara Police Launch Manhunt for Three Notorious Kidnap Kingpins

The Kwara State Police Command has declared three suspected kidnap kingpins wanted in connection with a series of bloody attacks on several communities across the state.

Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, disclosed this to reporters on Wednesday in Ilorin, the state capital.

According to him, the wanted suspects — identified as Chelsea, Auta, and Aro — have been on the police radar for their alleged roles in the growing cases of armed banditry in parts of Kwara South, Edu, and Patigi local government areas.

Ojo explained that the ongoing joint security operation along the Kwara-Kogi border had forced several of the criminals to flee their hideouts, with many already neutralised in recent raids.

He assured residents that the police and other security agencies were intensifying efforts to completely eliminate bandit activities within the affected areas.

The police commissioner also revealed that three officers of the command had been arrested for allegedly extorting motorists along the Osi–Eruku highway in Ekiti Local Government Area.

He said the officers, who were deployed to the area on official duty with an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), were currently in detention and would face disciplinary action.

Ojo warned that any officer found guilty of unprofessional conduct would be severely sanctioned, including possible demotion, in line with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to upholding professionalism and maintaining public trust, stressing that unethical behaviour within the force would not be tolerated.