Police Launch Manhunt for Bandits who Kidnapped 3 on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

Ololade Adeyanju/

A combined team of security operatives from the Ogun State Police Command have launched a manhunt for suspected Fulani bandits who abducted three men on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Tuesday night.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun State, Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this today.

Oyeyemi said the command deployed officers and men in the area after receiving a signal that three travellers were abducted around Ajebo/Ogunmakin on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Tuesday.

He stated: “The Commissioner of Police, Bashir Makama, has given a standing order to all the heads of operation in the command to begin a serious search for the abducted persons. He has deployed high calibre security operatives in the area.

“The CP has sent the Deputy Commissioner, Operations; Deputy Commissioner, State CID; Commander, Police Mobile Force 15; the Officer in Charge, Special Anti-Robbery Squad; and the Officer in Charge, Anti-Kidnapping Unit, with the mandate to rescue the victims.

“As I am speaking to you, all of them are at the scene of the incident combing the bush with a view to rescuing the victims and arresting the criminals.”

He said the two vehicles the victims were travelling in had been recovered and taken to the Ogunmakin and Ogere police stations.

Gunmen numbering about 15 had reportedly abducted the victim’s after firing at their vehicle at Ajebo, near the Foursquare Gospel Church camp, at about 7pm yesterday.

One of the victims is said to be the son of the Chief Medical Director of the Lafia Hospital, Apata, Ibadan, Dr. Oladipupo Sule, while the other two are staff of the hospital.

The victims were on their way back from Lagos, where they had gone to buy drugs and other hospital consumables when they were ambushed and kidnapped.

The CMD’s son was identified as Kayode, while the two members of staff were identified as Opeyemi Abifarin and Dele Adigun.

The Toyota Sienna in which the victims were travelling was abandoned along with the driver.

The driver reportedly told the police that one of the kidnappers spoke English, while the others spoke Hausa and another language that he couldn’t understand.

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