The Ondo State Police Command has arrested four suspected kidnappers allegedly connected to a violent attack and abduction in the Liberty Avenue area of Ilu-Abo, Akure North Local Government Area, recovering a substantial sum believed to be ransom money.

The incident began when six armed men reportedly trailed a local businessman, iron dealer John Ofuduwa, to his residence in the community. As he attempted to drive into his compound, the assailants allegedly ambushed him and shot him in the head. He later died from his injuries.

In the chaos that followed, the gunmen were said to have seized a woman, identified as Tomiola Oladehinde, at the entrance of her residence in the same area. She was taken away as the attackers fled, and was later released after a ransom was allegedly paid.

Police spokesperson DSP Abayomi Jimoh said the breakthrough came after credible intelligence indicated that some suspected kidnappers had lodged in a hotel behind Ado Garage in Akure. Tactical teams from the command, working in conjunction with the Ondo State Security Network, known as Amotekun Corps, moved in to verify the tip-off and apprehend the suspects.

Four men were arrested in the operation: Abdullahi Ismaila, 20, Babanyara Japi, 25, Babuga Abubakar, 25, and 15-year-old Adama Usman. According to the police, they were found in possession of 1.4 million naira, which investigators strongly suspect to be proceeds of ransom from kidnapping activities. The money has been taken into custody as an exhibit.

Preliminary investigation, according to the command, indicates that the suspects confessed to involvement in the Liberty Avenue attack and belong to a wider criminal syndicate operating around the Eleyowo, Ilu-Abo and Ogbese axis of the state. The kidnap victim, Oladehinde, has reportedly identified the suspects as part of the gang that abducted her.

The command has launched a broader probe to determine the full scope of the group’s activities, including possible links to other kidnappings, armed robberies and related crimes within Ondo State and beyond. Security agencies say efforts are ongoing to track down additional members of the network.

The police leadership has urged residents to continue providing timely and credible information, stressing that public cooperation remains crucial to dismantling kidnapping rings and sustaining relative peace in the state.