Police kill two suspected kidnappers in Ogun
The police in Ogun State have shot dead two members of a suspected kidnap syndicate in the Itori area of Ewekoro local government, on Sunday.
In a statement on Monday, Abimbola Oyeyemi, the police spokesperson, said the suspected kidnappers were killed when they engaged the police in a gun battle.
Mr Oyeyemi said the battle lasted 40 minutes, with two suspected kidnappers killed, while others escaped with various degrees of injuries.
In the pictures circulated by Mr Oyeyemi, one of the deceased suspects had a black face mask on, to cover his identity.
“The two suspects met their waterloo when policemen in Ewekoro divisional headquarters received an information at about 7:30 am, that some armed hoodlums with face mask were sighted hibernating in a bush at the back of ICT polytechnic Itori.
“Coupled with the fact that many suspected kidnappers have been traced to the same forest before, the anti-robbery team of Ewekoro division was quickly dispatched to fish out the hoodlums.
“On sighting the policemen, the gang opened fire on them and the policemen engaged them in gun battle, which lasted for about 40 minutes. At the end of the encounter, two members of the syndicate were gunned down while others escaped with varying degrees of gunshot injuries,” the statement reads.
The police said items recovered from the suspects include one locally fabricated shotgun, two live cartridges, two battle axes, empty shells of AK 47 riffle ammunition, three android phones, two small phones, eight pairs of slippers and two school bags.
The commissioner of police in the state, Edward Awolowo, while commending the officers, warned criminals to stop testing the willpower of the command under his watch, because doing so will continue to spell doom for them.
Mr Awolowo directed a manhunt for the fleeing members of the gang, while reiterating that the command will roll out all in its arsenal to wage war against crime and criminality to make the state free of violent crime.
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