Three Indian nationals and a Nigerian who were kidnapped on June 30 at the Ilisan axis of the Sagamu-Ijebu Ode-Benin Expressway, have been rescued by the police in Ogun State.
Similarly, two of the kidnappers fell during a gun battle with the police in the bush.
On Monday, June 1, Gov. Dapo Abiodun ordered the police and other security agencies in the state to go after the kidnappers of the foreign nationals who were abducted the first day they arrived in the country.
State Police Commissioner Abiodun Alamutu disclosed this at a news conference at the command’s headquarters at Eleweran, Abeokuta, on Tuesday.
The police boss said that the kidnappers and the command’s anti-kidnapping squad engaged in a fierce gunfight before the policemen’s superior firepower killed two suspects and wounded others.
He said: “The kidnappers emerged from an unregistered Venza car, fired shots at the driver’s side tyres and another at the rear side of the driver, forcing the vehicle to a stop. Subsequently, they forcefully abducted the occupants of the vehicle and fled towards Ijebu-Ode.
“Upon receiving the distress call, the anti-kidnapping squad of the Ogun State Police Command was dispatched with explicit instructions to pursue and apprehend the suspects.
“Through a covert operation, the suspects were located in a bush where they were hiding. Upon noticing the police officers’ flashlights, they engaged them in a gun battle.
“The anti-kidnapping squad’s superior firepower led to the elimination of two suspects while the remaining criminals escaped with gunshot injuries, leaving behind their operational weapons.
“The victims, who were later identified as one Nigerian and three Indian nationals, were safely rescued unharmed and have been united with their families.”
The police commissioner said items recovered from the scene of the crime include five AK-47 rifles, 105 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, eight AK-47 magazines, and two cell phones.
On careful examination of the rifles by operatives of the police command, different demoninations of foreign currencies and that of Nigeria were discovered tucked inside the rifles, indicating the possible involvement of foreign nationals in the kidnapping, he added.
Alamutu, while reiterating that the state’s security architecture was working round the clock to ensure the safety of lives and property of the citizenry, especially along the axis where the incident took place, appealed to members of the public to report any suspicious persons with gun wounds to the nearest police station.
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