Along the Fidiwo axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Monday, some gunmen wearing military uniforms are reported to have abducted seven people. One of the victims was shot dead while trying to flee the scene.
There was an information passed by an anonymous source that the armed men approached the car carrying the victims, opened fire intermittently, kidnapped seven passengers, and fled into the nearby bush with the victims they had kidnapped.
According to information obtained by our correspondent, one unidentified woman was shot dead and another woman was critically injured when a female passenger in another vehicle witnessed the attack and tried to escape but was shot by the armed men.
According to the source, on Monday there was an incident of kidnapping along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. I found out that the abductors, who were wearing military fatigues, ambushed a car, took several of the occupants hostage, and fatally shot one of them. I am unable to determine how many people have been abducted thus far.
During a late-night WhatsApp conversation with our correspondent, SP Omolola Odutola, the public relations officer for the Ogun State Police, confirmed the attack and emphasized that the police had started a manhunt for the suspected kidnappers.
She stated: “On Monday, One Opeyemi Folarin of the RCCG Missed House Block 10 reported an incident of kidnapping.
“She said she was driving their family’s Toyota Hiace bus from Akure to Lagos with her family.
She claimed that while she and her family were driving their Toyota Hiace bus with the license plate NIGER SUL338 ZY from Akure to Lagos, they were stopped by a group of armed people who were firing intermittently as they crossed the Fidiwo Bridge.
Seven individuals—including Folarin’s parents—were kidnapped and carried into the bush, leaving Folarin and their four siblings behind. Together with the car, the kids were taken to the police station.
Furthermore, during her attempt to flee, the kidnappers shot Oyekunle Sola, a 35-year-old woman who was riding in a different vehicle. At Victory Hospital Ogere, she is presently undergoing treatment.
According to Oyekunle Sola’s information, there were roughly fifteen kidnappers dressed in army uniforms. The body of an unidentified female who was shot during the incident was discovered and placed at an Ipara mortuary. She was shot while running.
According to Odutola, Abiodun Alamutu, the Commissioner of Police, immediately dispatched senior officers to search the bush following the report of the kidnapping. On Tuesday, one of the victims was successfully rescued as a result of this exercise.
In order to free the victims who had been abducted, Commissioner of Police CP Alamutu Abiodun ordered a bush combing operation into the Bamboo Forest as soon as he received the report. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACPOL) Sagamu provided support to the Deputy Commissioner of Operations (DC OPS), who oversaw the operation.
One of the victims, Kasali Idris Adegoroye, 43, of Ofada Road Abisodun, Mowe, was successfully freed at around 12:30 p.m. today, and he was reunited with his family.
“The Commissioner is proactively monitoring the situation to guarantee the safety of others, and the CP reassures Ogun locals not to fear or impose any limitations on their travel schedules,” stated Odutola.
