A police officer was killed, one other injured, while a professor of political science was among others that were kidnapped by suspected gunmen on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Suspected kidnappers in military uniform had laid siege to the Dominica University area on the expressway on Friday night and abducted an unspecified number of passengers.

Professor Adigun Agbaje, at the University of Ibadan, was among those kidnapped.

A relation of the lecturer, who pleaded anonymity, said that the kidnappers had contacted the family, demanding N50 million ransom.

Commenting, the Police Relations Officer in Oyo State, Adewale Osifeso, said that operatives of the command attached to toll-gate got wind of the incident on Friday night.

Mr Osifeso said the command deployed anti-crime patrol operatives, tactical teams, police mobile men and local hunters led by the Divisional Police Officer to rescue the abductees.

According to him, during the process, an officer attached to the command paid the supreme price with one other badly injured and presently responding to treatment

“So far, expended ammunition shells and four abandoned vehicles were retrieved at the scene,” Mr Osifeso said, adding that “the Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Williams, has ordered full-scale scientific and technological aided investigations”.

The police spokesman added that the “deputy commissioner in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department was leading the charge.”

Mr Osifeso, however, called on residents within and outside the area to notify the command whenever they see any gunshot victims and other strange occurrences.

(NAN)