Police Storm Kidnappers’ Hideout On Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Rescue Victim

Men of the Ogun State Police Command have stormed the hideout of a gang of kidnappers and rescued a victim identified as Sheu Anafi.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun State, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who said this in a statement on Sunday, stated that the policemen also arrested one of the suspected kidnappers, Ibraheem Abubakar, during the operation.

The policemen stormed the hideout located around the Kara Bridge end of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of the state.

The PPRO said the arrest was made on Saturday after his men invaded the hideout of the suspects and rescued the kidnap victim who was one of the passengers whose vehicle was attacked by the gang.

The PPRO said the kidnappers had been terrorising travellers and other people at the Kara Bridge end of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in recent times.

He said, “Men of the command took the battle to the doorstep of the hoodlums following a report lodged at Warewa divisional headquarters by a commercial driver.

“The driver reported that while he was coming from Ilorin in his Ford commercial car with registration number LRN 596 ZY, loaded with seven passengers, on getting to the long bridge, there was traffic jam consequence upon which he drove through the untared access road beside the bridge.

“While driving through the said access road, they were attacked by some unknown gunmen which 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 by name 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 result 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.

“The suspect has confessed to being a member of a seven-man gang terrorising the stretch of the long bridge in recent time.”

Oyeyemi added that the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to the state Criminal Investigation Department for a discreet investigation.

He said, “the CP also appealed to members of the public, especially hospitals to inform the police if anybody with gunshot injury is seen in their area.”