The Ogun police command says its operatives have killed two suspected kidnappers and recovered a black bag allegedly used to deliver ransom to a criminal gang operating in the state.
The police spokesperson in Ogun, Oluseyi Babaseyi said in a statement on Saturday that the operation also led to the arrest of Mohammed Bello, a gang member and Mohammed Abdullahi, the father of one of the suspects and the Seriki of the Fulani community in the state.
Babaseyi said operatives of the command’s anti-kidnapping unit recovered an AK-47 rifle loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition, a single-barrel gun, N1.5 million suspected to be ransom proceeds, several mobile phones and the black bag allegedly used in ransom transactions.
According to the police, the operation followed investigations into the abduction of three persons at the Ipojo area of Iperin, Atan-Ijebu, on May 11.
The victims were reportedly released unharmed on May 14 after an unspecified ransom was paid to their captors.
The police spokesperson said intelligence gathered after the victims regained freedom led operatives to a suspected kidnapper’s hideout along the Ijebu-Ode-Ibadan road axis.
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“On sighting the police operatives, the suspects opened fire, leading to a fierce gun duel,” the statement reads.
“The operatives responded professionally, resulting in the neutralisation of two of the suspected kidnappers, while other members of the gang escaped into the surrounding forest with varying degrees of bullet injuries.”
Babaseyi said subsequent operations led to the arrest of Abdullahi, adding that investigations are ongoing to unravel the syndicate’s network and facilitate the prosecution of the suspects in custody.
The police spokesperson said the bodies of the slain suspects had been deposited in a morgue for autopsy, while efforts were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the gang.
Bode Ojajuni, the Ogun commissioner of police, commended the operatives for their “gallantry, professionalism and resilience” and reiterated the command’s commitment to tackling kidnapping and other violent crimes in the state.