Police Nab Two Suspects After Gunmen Invade CRIN Headquarters in Ibadan; Force Repels Heavy Firefight and Blasts Mass Abduction ‘Fake News’

The security shield around Ibadan’s academic and research institutions was aggressively activated after a gang of armed men breached the premises of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), snatching two workers. The Oyo State Police Command has launched a full-scale tactical rescue operation in the forest trenches of Oluyole Local Government Area, successfully arresting two key suspects following a fierce wilderness gun battle.

The nightmare began at approximately 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, when about six gunmen operated in a commando-style raid at the Idi-Ayunre institute. The attackers opened fire into the air to terrorize road users and passersby before dragging two CRIN staff members into the deep bush. CRIN’s Chief Security Officer immediately opened a distress portal with the Idi-Ayunre Divisional Police Headquarters, prompting Oyo State Commissioner of Police, CP Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbemiga, to deploy the command’s heavy tactical assets, including the elite Anti-Kidnapping Squad.

The breakthrough manual unfolded rapidly on Wednesday morning. At about 8:10 a.m., tracking teams combing the dense canopy intercepted two suspicious individuals identified as Shehu and Abubakar. During a sharp preliminary interrogation, the duo buckled and volunteered to lead the operatives directly to their accomplices’ secret hideout. However, as the police rescue line approached the hidden camp, the remaining syndicate members opened a heavy volley of gunfire.

“Our operatives responded professionally, repelled the attack, and successfully extracted the two suspects,” stated State Police Spokesperson, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, confirming that the captured duo are currently in a secure zone undergoing intense intelligence exploitation.

While the tactical units continue using digital tracking and physical sweeps to rescue the two captives unharmed, the command hit back hard against panic-mongers on the digital space. DSP Ayanlade explicitly shut down viral social media reports alleging that a separate “mass kidnapping” of pupils and teachers had occurred in the nearby Abanla community. The police clarified that apart from the active CRIN incident, no other abduction has been recorded, warning that spreading unverified horror stories only serves to fracture public confidence and misdirect precious rescue resources.