The Nigeria Police Force in Ondo State has refuted claims by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) that four bandits were arrested at Akure Airport, clarifying that the suspects apprehended were logistics suppliers to kidnappers operating in parts of the state.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Ondo State police spokesperson, Abayomi Jimoh, dismissed FAAN’s earlier report which claimed that four bandits were apprehended behind the airport’s perimeter fence near the Eleyewo community during a joint security operation.

FAAN had said in a statement released late Sunday that the suspects were arrested following a “coordinated security operation involving aviation and local security agencies.”

“During the operation, some individuals were seen attempting to flee the area. Four suspects were eventually apprehended by the joint security team and have been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force Area Command for further interrogation,” the agency stated.

However, the police described the report as inaccurate and urged the public to disregard claims that bandits were arrested at the airport.

Jimoh said the command acted on credible intelligence from a concerned citizen regarding suspected kidnappers operating around the Eleyewo axis of Akure.

“Acting swiftly on the tip-off, operatives of the command launched a targeted operation in the area which led to the arrest of two suspects,” he said.

According to him, preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were logistics suppliers aiding kidnapping activities within the state.

“They have since made useful confessional statements that are currently aiding ongoing investigations and efforts to apprehend other members of the criminal network,” Jimoh added.

He also stressed that there was no security breach at the airport.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the command wishes to state clearly that no such incident occurred at the Akure Airport, and there was no security breach of any kind at the facility,” the statement said.

Speaking with journalists in Akure, the state Commissioner of Police, **Adebowale Lawal**, also rejected the claim that bandits were arrested at the airport.

“Let me quickly debunk that issue of the arrest of four bandits. We don’t have bandits in Ondo State. We have criminals, not bandits,” Lawal said.

He explained that two suspects believed to be logistics suppliers to kidnappers were arrested along the Eleyewo and Ilu-Abo axis, while another suspect arrested in Ilu-Abo was not linked to the two.

Lawal insisted that none of the suspects was apprehended within the airport facility as suggested in FAAN’s statement.

“So they were never arrested at the airport, contrary to the press statement made by the FAAN management staff,” he said.

The police commissioner added that the suspects were later taken close to the airport area during the investigation after being compelled to lead security operatives to possible hideouts of other members of the criminal network.

“They were leading them to where others were. So they were not actually arrested at the airport,” he said.

The clarification comes amid growing security concerns in Ondo State, which has witnessed a rise in violent attacks, kidnappings and killings in recent months.

On March 3, residents of Ayede Ogbese community in Akure North Local Government Area blocked the Akure–Owo–Benin highway in protest against persistent killings and abductions in the area.

Similarly, on March 10, residents of Ilu-Abo and neighbouring communities barricaded the Akure–Owo expressway to protest the rising cases of kidnapping in the region.