A gun duel with men of the Ogun State Police Command has led to the death of five suspected kidnappers, with others escaping with bullet wounds.
The incident happened on Wednesday when operatives attached to the state police’s anti-kidnapping team squared it up with the suspected criminals who allegedly terrorised travellers along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
According to the spokesperson for the command, CSP Omotola Odutola, items recovered from them include one AK-47 rifle, 10 rounds of 5.6mm calibre ammunition, N5.2m (suspected to be proceeds of crime) and three mobile phones.
“On Saturday, January 25, 2025, at about 1900hrs, the Area Commander, Sagamu, received a distress call from commuters travelling along the Sagamu-Ijebu Ode Expressway of an ongoing armed robbery near Ilishan, Ogun State.
“Acting swiftly, the Area Commander mobilised a crack team of officers to the scene. Upon arrival, officers discovered that a group of unidentified gunmen had set up a roadblock using an articulated truck, indiscriminately opening fire on unarmed passengers, causing widespread panic.
“In the ensuing chaos, three commuters – Bolaji Bilesanmi ‘m’, 65 years Olasunkanmi Idowu ‘m’ 50 years, and Mohammed Salisu ‘m’ (age unknown) – were abducted into the forest from two vehicles (1) Honda Pilot (Registration No. Lagos EKY113GZ) and (2) Honda Accord car (Registration No. Lagos KJA13QFA),” Odutola said in a statement.
She added that the state Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, however, ordered a covert operation when the command’s anti-kidnapping unit stormed the hideout of the kidnappers around 4 am on Wednesday along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
On sighting the security agents, the kidnappers were said to have opened fire at them but five of the kidnappers were eventually gunned down during the crossfire while others escaped with gunshot wounds.
The three kidnapped victims equally regained their freedom unhurt during the covert operation.
The police said that efforts were ongoing to arrest the fleeing injured members of the syndicate.
Consequently, the CP has strongly warned against criminal activities, particularly among young individuals seeking financial gain through high-profile crimes.
He reiterated the command’s unwavering commitment to an aggressive crackdown on criminals preying on innocent citizens in the state.
