TheCable

The police command in Ogun says its operatives have killed two suspected kidnappers terrorising travellers on the Sagamu-Ijebu Ode-Benin road.

Omolola Odutola, spokesperson of the command, said in a statement that the kidnappers were killed on Tuesday during an attempt to rescue some abducted Indian nationals.

She gave the names of the Indians as Tejaram Chauhan, Kaduwal Pradhan, and Medani Kathiwada, adding that they were abducted on Friday.

She also said cash amounting to N7.9 million and 1,500 Indian Rupees, suspected to have been part of the ransom, was recovered.

Odutola explained that the manager of Breeze Company Nigeria Limited, located on the Ibadan-Lagos expressway, had on Saturday made a distress call to the divisional police officer (DPO) of Mowe divisional headquarters.

She said the distress call was to alert the DPO that a gang of kidnappers had on the previous day opened fire on two vehicles conveying his principals at Kajola junction, along the Sagamu-Siun-Abeokuta expressway.

She quoted the manager as saying that the police escort attached to the first vehicle, marked FST 686 YH, exchanged fire with the kidnappers, and managed to escape with all the occupants of the vehicle.

“Three Indian nationals inside the second bus without police escort were all kidnapped to an unknown destination,” she said.

“The anti-kidnapping section of the command, in concert with police formations in the axis, with other local security agents, swung into action by combing the area.

“The policemen engaged the kidnappers in a fierce gun battle in the forest along Benin-Sagamu-Papalanto and succeeded in the rescue of the victims unhurt.

“In the course of the encounter, two of the six kidnappers were demobilised. Two AK-47 rifles, one single barrel locally made gun, one sword, cell phone, criminal charms and 65 rounds of ammunition were recovered.

“The two demobilised suspects have been deposited at the public mortuary, while intensive efforts are ongoing to arrest the four fleeing members of the gang.”