Ondo State police and local hunters rescued 12 passengers who were abducted by suspected kidnappers in Isua Akoko early Friday [1], [2].
The operation highlights the ongoing security challenges regarding highway safety and the reliance on community-based hunters to assist official police efforts in Nigeria.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Friday, May 22, 2026, in the headquarters of the Akoko South-East Local Government Area [2], [3]. According to reports, suspected armed kidnappers intercepted commercial vehicles to abduct the passengers [2], [4]. While sources differ on the specific make of the vehicles—citing either Hummer buses [2] or Toyota vehicles [4]—both agree that two commercial vehicles were targeted.
DSP Abayomi Jimoh of the Ondo State Police Command coordinated the response to the midnight attack [1], [2]. The police worked in tandem with local hunters to locate and secure the victims [2]. All 12 abducted passengers were successfully rescued [1], [4].
The abduction is believed to have been motivated by ransom or other criminal objectives [2], [4]. The coordination between the state police and local vigilante groups was critical in the rapid recovery of the captives before the kidnappers could relocate them from the Isua Akoko area [1], [3].
Authorities continue to monitor the region as part of broader efforts to curb the activity of bandits and kidnappers who target commercial transport corridors [4].
“Ondo State police and local hunters rescued 12 passengers who were abducted by suspected kidnappers.”
The successful rescue of the 12 passengers underscores a growing trend in Nigerian security strategy where formal police commands rely on local hunters and community knowledge to combat kidnapping. This hybrid security model is often necessary in rural or semi-rural areas where state forces lack the granular terrain intelligence required to track mobile criminal elements quickly.
