Police kill three kidnappers of Ogun students in shootout

The Nigeria Police Force has said that three suspected kidnappers who took five students from Gateway ICT Polytechnic in Sapaade, Ogun State were killed in a gun battle with security forces.

CSP Ani Iniedu, the Force Public Relations Officer, shared this information in a statement about police operations across the country on Sunday.

Iniedu mentioned that after rescuing the victims, the police anti-kidnapping unit and operatives from the Department of State Security tracked the kidnappers to their location.

He explained that the security team confronted the kidnappers in a gun fight, where three of them were killed, while others managed to escape with gunshot injuries.

He said, “Six Gateway ICT Polytechnic students who were kidnapped at Ipara were released unhurt following intensive security pressure.

“Anti-Kidnapping and DSS operatives then stormed the kidnappers’ hideout and engaged the hoodlums in a gun duel. Three kidnappers were neutralised, while others escaped with gunshot wounds.”

The FPRO also stated that one AK-47 rifle, one empty magazine, three mobile phones, and N2.3 million were recovered during the operation.

He added that the State Criminal Investigation Department had started further investigations into the incident.

PUNCH Metro reported on Thursday that Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun said that kidnappers and other criminals would not find a safe place in the state after the rescue of the five students and two other residents.

The governor spoke to journalists at his Oke-Mosan office in Abeokuta, alongside security chiefs and some of the rescued students. He said the successful operation showed his government’s commitment to protecting lives and property.

Abiodun noted that the students were rescued during a planned operation involving the Nigeria Police Force, the Armed Forces, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Ogun State Security Network Agency (Amotekun Corps), local vigilantes, and hunters.

He also mentioned that the operation got a significant boost when the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, approved a police helicopter for aerial surveillance, which he said was very helpful in the rescue.