Etim Ekpimah
Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command, on Saturday, 24 September 2022, invaded the kidnappers’ hideout, arrested one member of the gang, and rescued a kidnap victim Sheu Anafi unhurt.
It was gathered that kidnappers had been terrorising the Kara Bridge end of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in recent times.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the police operatives took the battle to the doorstep of the hoodlums following a report lodged at Warewa divisional headquarters by a commercial vehicle driver, who reported that while he was coming from Ilorin in his Ford commercial car with registration number plate LRN 596 ZY, loaded with seven passengers, on getting to the long bridge, there was traffic jam consequence upon which he drove through the untarred access road beside the bridge.
“While driving through the said access road, they were attacked by some unknown gunmen that made all the passengers run into different directions in the nearby bush.
“But when they all regrouped to continue their journey, it was discovered that one of the passengers, Alhaji Sheu Anafi from Okeleele area of Ilorin has been abducted by the hoodlums.
“Upon the report, the DPO Warewa division, CSP Abdul Fatai Ogunsanya led a joint operation consisting men of the command’s tactical teams, local Vigilantes, so safe corps and OPC men for bush combing in search of the abducted man.
“Their efforts yielded positive results when the hideout of the kidnappers was located and the security operatives engaged them in a gun battle.
“At the end of the encounter, one of the kidnappers, Ibraheem Abubakar, who claimed to have come from Sabonganmu-Bompai Road, Kano State, was arrested while others escaped with varying degrees of gunshot injuries, and the victim, 62 years old Sheu Anafi was rescued unhurt,” Oyeyemi said.
The PPRO added that the suspect has confessed to being a member of a seven-man gang terrorising the stretch of the long bridge in recent times.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Bankole has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to the state Criminal Investigation Departments for discreet investigation.
Oyeyemi noted that the CP also appealed to members of the public, especially hospitals to inform the police if anybody with gunshot injury is seen around their areas.