Gunmen, disguised in military uniforms, reportedly seized seven individuals along the Fidiwo axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Monday.
Amid the attack, one person met a tragic fate, succumbing to a gunshot while attempting to evade the assailants.
According to an unnamed source who shared details with newsmen, the armed perpetrators intercepted a vehicle carrying the victims. They unleashed a barrage of gunfire, forcibly abducting seven passengers before vanishing into the nearby bush along the expressway.
In a harrowing turn of events, a female passenger in a separate vehicle, who witnessed the assault and attempted to flee, fell victim to the gunmen’s violence. She now lies in critical condition, while another unidentified woman tragically lost her life after being shot during the incident.
The source said, “I got the report of a kidnapping incident that occurred along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Monday. I learnt that the kidnappers were dressed in military uniform and they accosted a vehicle, kidnapped some of the occupants, and shot one person dead. I cannot ascertain the number of persons kidnapped yet.”
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Omolola Odutola, confirmed the attack to our correspondent via a WhatsApp chat late Tuesday, stressing that the police had begun a manhunt for the suspected kidnappers.
She said, “One Opeyemi Folarin of the RCCG Missed House Block 10 reported a kidnapping incident on Monday.
“She said she and her family were traveling from Akure to Lagos in their family vehicle, a Toyota Hiace bus with number plate NIGER SUL338 ZY when they were intercepted by a group of armed individuals who were firing sporadically after passing the Fidiwo Bridge.
“Seven people, including the parents of Folarin, were abducted and taken into the bush while Folarin and their four siblings were left behind. The children were brought to the police station along with the vehicle.
“Also, one Oyekunle Sola, a 35-year-old female who was traveling in another vehicle, was shot by the kidnappers while attempting to escape. She is currently receiving treatment at Victory Hospital Ogere.
“Information from Oyekunle Sola suggests that there were approximately 15 kidnappers wearing army uniforms. She was shot while fleeing and the corpse of an unidentified female who was shot during the incident was found and deposited at a mortuary in Ipara.”
Odutola added that as soon as the report of the abduction was received, the Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu, deployed senior officers to comb the bush and the exercise led to the rescue of one of the victims on Tuesday.
“Upon receiving the report, the Commissioner of Police, CP Alamutu Abiodun, ordered a bush combing exercise into the Bamboo Forest to rescue the kidnapped victims from the incident. The Deputy Commissioner of Operations (DC OPS) coordinated the operation and was assisted by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACPOL) Sagamu.
“At about 1230hrs today, the police team successfully liberated one of the victims, Kasali Idris Adegoroye, a 43-year-old male from Ofada Road Abisodun, Mowe, and has been united with his family.
“The Commissioner is fully on top of this incident to ensure others are rescued while the CP assures Ogun residents not to panic or exercise any restraint in their traveling plans,” Odutola said.
