Three suspected members of a kidnapping gang operating between Ondo and Lagos states have been arrested after abducting a woman in the Ijedodo area of Lagos and collecting N21 million ransom.

The suspects, identified as Semi Buawe, 35; Oluwatomi Obosi, 37; and Bamure Telemowei, were traced to their hideout in Agadagba community, Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit.

The gang’s leader, identified only as ID, remains at large. Police sources said he may be connected to kidnapping incidents across several states.

The victim, whose identity was withheld, was reportedly held captive for three days in a bush around Ijedodo before her family paid the ransom.

The payment included N21 million, a bottle of schnapps, a power bank and one kilogramme of frozen turkey.

According to police investigations, the suspects planned the operation in Ondo State before travelling to Lagos in April 2026.

They reportedly returned to Agadagba immediately after collecting the ransom.

One of the suspects, Buawe, a 35-year-old sawmill worker, admitted participating in the operation.

He claimed he had been involved in kidnapping since 2010 but had decided to quit before ID persuaded him to join the Lagos operation because of his knowledge of the city.

Buawe said the gang had no specific target when they arrived in Lagos and decided to abduct the occupant of a “very beautiful duplex” after ID concluded that the owner must be wealthy.

He said ID and another gang member entered the house and later emerged with the woman, while he and Obosi watched the surroundings.

When the victim reportedly shouted for help as they headed towards the bush, a passer-by attempted to intervene, prompting ID to fire a shot into the air.

Buawe said the victim was kept in the bush for three days while ID negotiated with her family.

He alleged that the gang initially rejected an offer of N16 million before eventually accepting N21 million, alongside the other items.

He claimed he received N1.5 million as his share of the ransom and collected one of the victim’s two phones.

He said he later handed the phone to a bureau de change operator in Ondo State but had yet to receive payment.

For Obosi, popularly known as Tommy, the alleged kidnapping operation was motivated by his desire to raise money for marriage.

The 37-year-old suspect said his mother had advised him to settle down and marry, while his grandfather urged him to return to Agadagba to find a suitable woman and raise money for the marriage.

Obosi said he eventually met a woman and proposed, but was introduced to ID, who was the husband of his girlfriend’s sister.

According to him, ID recruited him into the operation because he lived in Lagos and could help translate Yoruba during the abduction of Yoruba-speaking victims.

“I only agreed to follow them for the operation because I needed money to marry as soon as possible,” he said.

Obosi claimed he received N2.5 million from the operation but alleged that ID later collected N200,000 from each gang member after they returned to Agadagba.

Confirming the arrests, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said the command had intensified efforts to apprehend the fleeing gang leader.

She said the suspects remained in police custody and would be charged to court after investigations were concluded.

The police spokesperson urged anyone with useful information on the whereabouts of ID to report to the nearest police station, assuring residents that “there will be no hiding space for criminals in Lagos State.”