From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Twenty travellers were reportedly abducted along the Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode Expressway by some heavily armed gunmen at about 8pm, on Sunday.
One of the victims was also reportedly shot on the knee by the suspected kidnappers. The kidnappers, Daily Sun learnt, ambushed the travellers between the Sagamu Area Command of the Nigeria Police and Ilisan township.
The Chairman, Ilisan Development Council, Wemmy Osude, confirmed the incident. Osude said one of the victims of the attack, who is a resident of Ilisan-Remo, was already receiving medical attention at the Babcock University Teaching Hospital.
“Information reaching me right now confirmed a kidnapping incident between the Area Command and Ilisan City Gate (formerly Delabo). A resident of Ilisan (name unconfirmed) was reportedly shot on the knee and is receiving medical attention at the Babcock Teaching Hospital. Other victims were taken into the bush. While waiting for additional information, please contact your loved ones, who may be traveling on that road at about this time, to be cautious”, he stated.
Osude added that he had spoken to the resident of the town who was being treated at the Babcock University Teaching Hospital, and he was said to be in a stable condition.
He said: “I have spoken to the Sagamu Area Commander about this incident and, hopefully, we trust that all the security agents will go after these criminals and rescue these people”.
Confirming the incident, the Spokesperson, Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, said security measures had been strengthened in the Sagamu axis. In a statement, yesterday, the PPRO explained that a group of unknown armed individuals, without definite number, in their unregistered Venza Toyota car, trailed a man in his Toyota RAV4 SUV, grey colour with licence plate number – Lagos – AGL-16-JE, to a rough patch of the road, and blocked the victim’s vehicle.
“The criminals fired four rounds of ammunition believed to be from an AK-47 into the driver’s back tyre and another shot into the front tyre. Immediately, the hoodlums alighted from their vehicle, and forced the driver of the Toyota RAV4 into their waiting Venza SUV and sped off towards Ijebu-Ode.
“During the incident, the hoodlums also shot a driver of a Toyota Camry car, black colour, whose name is yet unknown, with licence plate number – Lagos – AAA-04-JB, inflicting injury on his left leg as he attempted a U-turn. Additionally, a bus driver traveling from Abuja to Lagos in the Ilisan area was stopped by the criminals who smashed his bus windscreen and collected his mobile phone after warning him to be cautious as he was not their target.
“The other injured driver has been promptly taken to the Babcock University Teaching Hospital in Ilisan for treatment and he’s currently responding to treatment. No lives were lost, but the two vehicles damaged by the fleeing suspects have been recovered and towed to the police station.
“Further updates will be communicated to members of the public, as the identity of the kidnapped victims is yet unknown. The Commissioner of Police, Alamutu Abiodun Mustapha, has been briefed and he has detailed the Anti Kidnapping Unit to take up the investigations,” the PPRO said in the statement.