Two men have been arrested by the Ondo State Police Command after they allegedly abducted a senior traffic warden in Akure, whisking him away in their vehicle instead of complying with his directive to follow them to a police station.
The two suspects, identified as Olopade Abraham and Emmanuel Taiwo, both of Alagbaka, Akure, were arrested in connection with the abduction of Senior Traffic Warden ST Oliniju Kehinde. This was disclosed in a statement issued on Saturday by the Police Public Relations Officer of the Ondo State Command, DSP Abayomi Jimoh.
According to police, on April 3, 2026, one of the suspects drove a Toyota Avensis vehicle with registration number NND 398 EA, in the company of Taiwo, and flagrantly disobeyed traffic lights at Cathedral Junction, Akure. In the course of enforcing compliance, Senior Traffic Warden Kehinde, who is attached to ‘A’ Division, flagged down the offending vehicle. While being directed to proceed to the police station, the driver suddenly detoured to an unknown destination with the officer still inside the vehicle.
The abduction of a uniformed officer performing his lawful duty in broad daylight at a busy intersection in the state capital drew swift condemnation from the police command and prompted an immediate manhunt for the suspects.
The Ondo State Police Command confirmed that the two suspects were subsequently tracked down and arrested following the incident. The traffic warden was recovered safely. Both suspects are now in police custody, and the case is expected to be transferred to the appropriate investigative unit for prosecution.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, reaffirmed the command’s zero-tolerance stance toward any act of violence or intimidation targeting law enforcement officers on duty. The Commissioner of Police, CP Adebowale Lawal, is understood to have directed that the matter be treated with the utmost seriousness given that the victim is a uniformed officer.
The incident adds to a troubling pattern of security incidents across Ondo State in 2026. The Ondo State Police Command reported arresting 286 suspects for various criminal offences between January and March 2026, with crimes ranging from kidnapping and armed robbery to murder and cultism. Commissioner of Police CP Adebowale Lawal attributed the arrests to intelligence-led operations, sustained patrols, coordinated tactical deployments, and strong community collaboration across the state.
Among the eighteen local government areas in Ondo State, Akure North in particular has recorded a surge in banditry over the past year, leading to several deaths and kidnappings. Several communities in the area have staged protests calling on the state government and security agencies to urgently restore safety.
The brazenness of the Cathedral Junction incident in which suspects drove off with a uniformed officer at a busy Akure junction, reflects the kind of open contempt for law enforcement authority that security officials say they are determined to stamp out. The police have urged members of the public to continue providing actionable intelligence to assist ongoing efforts to maintain law and order across Ondo State.