The police command in Ogun State said it killed five suspected kidnappers in a gun duel on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

The command’s spokesperson, CSP Omolola Odutola, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abeokuta.

According to Ms Odutola, the Sagamu Area Commander received a distress call on Saturday, at 7:00p.m, from commuters travelling on the Sagamu-Ijebu Ode expressway, of an ongoing armed robbery near Ilishan.

She explained that the area commander swiftly mobilised a crack team of officers to the scene.

At the scene, they discovered that a group of unidentified gunmen had set up a roadblock using an articulated truck.

They indiscriminately opened fire on the passengers, causing widespread panic.

She said, “Three commuters – Bolaji Bilesanmi, 65, Olasunkanmi Idowu, 50, and one Mohammed Salisu were abducted into the forest from two vehicles. The vehicles are :Honda Pilot marked EKY 113 GZ and Honda Accord car with registration number KJA 13 QFA.’’

Ms Odutola added that the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, thereafter, directed a covert operation led by the command’s anti-kidnapping unit.

She noted that on Wednesday at 4am, operatives located the kidnappers’ hideout on Lagos-Ibadan expressway and upon sighting the police squad, the gang engaged the officers in a fierce gun battle.

” In the exchange, five kidnappers were killed while others escaped with gunshot wounds. Items recovered includes one AK-47 rifle, 10 rounds of 5.6mm calibre ammunition, N5.2 million suspected to be proceeds of crime and three mobile phones. The three kidnapped victims regained their freedom, unhurt. Efforts are ongoing to arrest injured members of the syndicate,” she said.

According to Ms Odutola, the CP warned against any criminal activities, particularly among youths seeking financial gain through high-profile crimes.

He further reiterated the command’s commitment to an aggressive crackdown on criminals preying on innocent citizens.

(NAN)