A joint security team in Oyo State has killed three suspected kidnappers and freed a man who was being held captive in Otu, a community in the Oke-Ogun area. The Oyo State Police Command said the operation was carried out by police officers working with local hunters and other security outfits.

According to the command’s spokesperson, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, the team moved in after a distress report came in on May 25, 2026. Hunters who were in the Otu bush for an expedition said they were shot at by suspected kidnappers, which triggered the security response. The hunters escaped that first attack unharmed.

When the combined team got to the location, the suspects opened fire, sparking a shootout. Olayinka said the security operatives subdued the group through coordinated tactics, and three of the suspected kidnappers were killed in the exchange. 

The team rescued Mosudi Gbolagade, aged around 50, who had reportedly been abducted from Okaka and kept in Otu. Gbolagade was hit by a bullet during the incident and has been taken to hospital. One of the local hunters involved in the operation also sustained a gunshot wound and is receiving treatment.

Security personnel recovered an AK-47 rifle with no ammunition, a single-barreled gun, and a machete from the scene. The Commissioner of Police in Oyo praised the officers, hunters, and other operatives for their courage during the rescue.