Ogun State Police Command has rescued Sheyi Anafi, who was kidnapped and also arrested Ibraheem Abubakar, one of the accused kidnappers, at their hideout.
The hideout was located near the Kara Bridge end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in the state’s Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area.
This information was released in a statement on Sunday by SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, the state’s police public relations officer.
Oyeyemi claimed that the arrest was made on Saturday after his men broke into the suspects’ hideout and freed the kidnapping victim, who was a passenger in the car that the gang had targeted.
According to the PPRO, the kidnappers have recently been terrorizing motorists and other bystanders along the Kara Bridge end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
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 being a member of seven-man gang terrorising the strech of the long bridge in recent time.”
Oyeyemi stated that the suspect will be sent right away to the state’s Criminal Probe Department for a covert investigation under the direction of police commissioner Lanre Bankole.
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.”
