Peace Oladapo 
The operatives of the Kwara State Police Command on Thursday paraded 28 suspected criminals including 18 kidnappers, three armed robbers, and two ritualists.
Speaking to reporters at the Ilorin Police Command headquarters on the arrests, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Victor Olaiya, revealed that 78 kidnap suspects were captured between October 2023 and now are being held in various correctional facilities across the state.
According to Victor, 18 kidnap suspects were paraded on Thursday, out of a total of 28 as he voiced alarm about the threat of kidnapping cases, claiming that the police will not stop until they are eradicated in the state.
“We’re worried, and that’s why we have been taking steps to ensure we keep them there. Some of the kingpins even have a larger-than-life attitude that nothing can happen to them and that they’ll be released when arrested.”
The Commissioner, however, said the increase in violent crimes on hard drugs, saying, “Criminals don’t do things with clear eyes.”
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“Drugs constitute one of the biggest problems we need to contend with. We need to keep drugs out of circulation as much as possible.
“For those who are willing to change, the government has to come in; we need a home for them to keep them out of drugs and the streets for a reasonable time from the substance and the kind of life they live and give them a second chance.”
Victor stated that one of the obstacles that makes conviction long and difficult is a technical issue in the prosecution of criminal suspects and that victims of serious crimes such as armed robbery and kidnapping do not often appear in court to offer testimony due to fear for their safety.
Among the 28 suspected criminals exhibited were three alleged kidnappers who had N6.4 million, seven mobile phones, and two wristwatches.
Nine other accused kidnappers, three armed robbers, and two ritualists purportedly in possession of human remains were also apprehended.
