The Ogun State Police Command has reported the kidnapping of three Indian nationals during an attack on the Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode expressway on Tuesday night.
The incident, which occurred around 8 PM on Sunday, involved multiple travellers and resulted in a driver being shot and others being abducted.
According to reports, the attack took place near Delabo Junction along the Sagamu/Ijebu-Ode Expressway.
Chairman of the Ilisan Development Council, Wemmy Osude, verified the Sunday night incident, noting that the driver was shot in the knee while the other victims were forced into the forest by the assailants.
Spokesperson for the State Police Command, Omolola Odutola described the event as a “suspected abduction and armed robbery.”
She detailed how gunmen, driving an unregistered Venza Toyota car, followed a man in a grey Toyota RAV4 Jeep with license plate Lagos AGL-16-JE, and ambushed him on a rough patch of road.
“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 Rav 4 into their waiting Venza Jeep, and sped off towards Ijebu-Ode,” she stated.
During the incident, the gunmen also shot a driver of a black Toyota Camry, license plate Lagos AAA-04-JB, injuring his left leg as he attempted a U-turn.
Also, a bus driver travelling from Abuja to Lagos was stopped by the criminals in the Ilisan area. They smashed his windscreen and confiscated his mobile phone, warning him to stay cautious as he was not their target.
The injured driver was taken to Babcock University Teaching Hospital in Ilisan, where he is currently recovering. Odutola assured that no lives were lost, and the two damaged vehicles were recovered and towed to the police station.
She promised further updates as the identity of the kidnapped victims remains unknown.
On Tuesday morning, Governor Dapo Abiodun directed security forces to pursue the kidnappers terrorising Ogun highways. Later that night, Police Spokesman Omolola Odutola provided an update, confirming that three Indian nationals were abducted during the incident.
She posted on her X handle, “Investigations by the Anti Kidnapping Unit of Ogun State Police Command further reveal that three Indian Nationals were the victims of the kidnap incident that occurred at Delabo Junction on the 30th of June 2024.”
