The victims, including a professor at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Femi Omisore were freed by combined forces of the Police and local vigilant group at Esure Ekiti in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area of the State.
The traditional ruler of Esure, Oba Adebanji Ajibola, who recounted how they were freed at his palace in Esure Ekiti, said the local hunters had located the kidnappers’ den through a tip-off from a woman, who complained that she saw a suspected armed man in the bush.
The rescued victims include: Mrs. Yemi Abiola; Mrs. W.A. Abiola; Dr. Folasade Alade from Ekiti State University; Dr. Kikelomo Adegun from EKSU; and Mrs. Foluke Ayeni from Ibadan.
Others are: Mrs. Aladenika Margaret from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido; Mrs. Lydia Agnes from Adewole estate in Ilorin; Alhaja Bili Abiola from Ibadan; Mrs. Funmi Ogunlola from Igede Ekiti, and Mr. Jimi Johnson.
Oba Ajibola said some of them, who had become very weak, were immediately taken to the hospital for medical treatment.
The royal father said: “We found the kidnap victims in the thick bush of Esure - Ika- Irasa - Ado road. We have started the rescue assignment since last week. We also reported about our suspicion of the bush to the government.
“The government said it will send heavily armed security operatives to invade the bush but I advised against that, saying that they should allow us to use my local vigilante first, who would first of all comb the bush and once they have a clue of anything, we would then ask the police to swing into action.
Oba Ajibola said the community and the police are now on the trail of a man identified as Olumide, an indigene of Esure Ekiti for allegedly serving as an accomplice to the kidnappers.
Governor Ayodele Fayose, who commended the Police Commissioner, Mr. Etop John James and the Director of the State Security Service, Mr. Duke Fubara for the breakthrough, appealed to the security agencies to provide personnel to take the victims to their families.
Fayose warned that the issue of kidnapping, which he described as strange to Ekiti terrain should not be politicised. The Governor told the security agencies to step up intelligence gathering with intention to get the perpetrators arrested in no distant time.
He said: “We have to thank God that the victims are back. Some are very weak and some are sick, but whatever the story is, their release gladdens our hearts. Over 50 per cent of them are not from Ekiti and we want them to re-unite with their families.
“Kidnapping is very strange in Ekiti, but we are learning from all this to be able to map out how to provide security that would prevent recurrence. We must not make this issue political.
We have to be careful not to fight crime with political minds, because this could be dangerous”.
Also responding, the State Police Commissioner, who spoke through the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Alberto Adeyemi, said “After the kidnap, we mapped out strategy, which involved mapping out the whole of forest in Ekiti.
“We worked with the armed squad of the Nigerian prisons, the local vigilante group, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, SSS and even soldiers to be able to achieve this”.
James added that the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase deployed 54 operatives from the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID) for the special operation.
“We have 300 personnel of combined forces for this operation. Where we first visited was Ilejemeje/Ido axis. We combed the whole forest, but there was no result.
“The next place we combed was Awo-Eyio-Esure forest up to Ekiti State University. In the process of doing this, we were blazing siren just for the kidnappers to know we were close by. That could account for why they ran away and left the victims before they could be rescued.
“We involved local hunters because they are familiar with the terrain. The next operation is out to fish out the kidnappers and we are closing in on them”, James assured.