Operatives in Ogun State Police, on Tuesday, gunned down another suspected member of a kidnap syndicate during a gun battle at a forest located in Abeokuta North Local Government Area of the state.
The security operatives comprising Policemen, hunters, vigilantes, SO-SAFE Corps as well as scores of Fulani youths resident in Abeokuta, stormed the Ilala forest in Imala axis of Abeokuta North LGA from where they engaged the suspected 6-man kidnappers in a gun duel, leading to the death of one of them, while another one identified as Usman Maidama was arrested.
The Ogun State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the incident to journalists in Abeokuta, the state capital, explained that the bloody encounter between the kidnappers and the security men at Ilala forest followed a tip-off received by the police at the Imala Divisional Headquarters that six armed kidnappers were sighted in the forest.
“Upon the information, the DPO Imala Division, CSP Bernard Ediagbonya quickly mobilised his men. On getting to the scene, the hoodlums, who sighted the team from afar opened fire on them and the team engaged them in a gun duel.
“In the process, one of the hoodlums was gunned down, while another one who identified himself as Usman Maidama was arrested. Other members of the gang escaped into the bush with gunshot injuries,” he said.
Oyeyemi further explained that items recovered from the suspects included one single barrel gun, one face mask and two pairs of sandals.
“The command’s onslaught operations against bandits have been yielding positive results, four Ak 47 riffles have been recovered from the hoodlums within the last three weeks, while some of the bandits have met their waterloo during an exchange of fire within the same period,” he added.
The PPRO, however, disclosed that the state’s Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, who expressed satisfaction with the consistent fight against criminals by men of the command, has ordered the transfer of the case to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit (AKTU) of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) for discreet investigation while assuring that the clampdown on hoodlums in every part of the state will be a continuous exercise.
“He also directed that the escaped members of the gang be hunted for, and brought to justice as soon as possible,” he stated.
