Men of the police command in Ogun on Thursday , engaged in gun duel with suspected gunmen responsible for the kidnap of Tunde Osifowokan, a poultry farm manager in Odogbolu Local Government area, killing five of them.
Gunmen had reportedly invaded the poultry farm on Monday shooting sporadically after which they abducted Osifowokan, the younger brother of the owner of the farm.
The Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu, told newsmen in Abeokuta that the police had been on the trail of the kidnappers since the incident was reported.
” At about 4:00a.m on Thursday morning, our anti-kidnapping unit stormed the kidnappers hideout at Odogbolu forest along Sagamu-Benin express way.
“The kidnappers engaged the squad in a fierce gun battle during which five of them, out of about eight were neutralised while the rest escaped with bullet wounds.
” Exhibits recovered from the dead among the kidnappers are cash suspected to be part of the ransom the kidnappers had collected.
“Other exhibits are one sword, cellphones, substances suspected to be hard drugs, charms, empty shells of AK47 riffle and sticks,” he said.
Alamutu also disclosed that the victim, Osifowokan was rescued unhurt, saying that the corpses of the kidnappers had been deposited at the morgue of a General Hospital .
The commissioner of police said that the command had intensified efforts to bring all the fleeing suspects to book .
He warned that criminals who were hellbent on testing the power of the police in the state would have themselves to blame.
