On Wednesday, gunmen, suspected to be kidnappers, shot dead two people and abducted two others at a farm in Awo Village in the Obafemi-Owode council area of Ogun.

One of the deceased was an area commander of the Ogun security outfit, So-Safe Corps, identified as Saheed Ogunrinde.

The gunmen were said to have appeared in camouflage and invaded a popular farm in the village which had more than 200 workers.

The kidnappers were reportedly trailed by a combined team of policemen and So-Safe Corps operatives.

Confirming the incident, the Commander of So-Safe Corps, Soji Ganzalo, said his men participated in the operation to salvage the situation after the suspected kidnappers had invaded the village.

“A distress call was made to Owode area command by the DPO Owode Division that two people were killed, and two others were kidnapped in Abule Awo, Orile-Imo, on Tuesday,” stated Mr Ganzalo. “The Owode area command of So-Safe led by Saheed Ogunrinde moved to the affected location to salvage the situation.”

He added, “On getting there, a joint operation was carried out by our men and Nigeria police, and all efforts to track the kidnappers proved abortive. The following morning, on Wednesday, when our men resumed with the police to search the location, which led them to the interchange area.”

On sighting “our men,” Mr Ganzalo narrated, “the kidnappers opened fire, and their bullet hit Ogunrinde, who died in the process. His body has been taken to his house at Ajura and buried. His rifle and phone were taken away by the kidnappers.”

When contacted, a police spokesman in Ogun, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident, stating that a suspect was arrested and operatives of the joint operation were trailing others.

“Two people were shot, and one of them died on the spot. They also kidnapped two,” the police officer said.

(NAN)