Unidentified gunmen suspected to be kidnappers abducted three residents of Ogun State on Saturday and demanded a sum of N10m and hard drugs as ransom.
The kidnappers also reportedly shot one person while struggling to kidnap him but later escaped from them.
The gunmen reportedly hid in a bush in Obada-Oko in the Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State before unleashing terror on the people in the community. They allegedly went away with three residents after the police from the Obada-Oko division engaged them in a gun duel.
Narrating his ordeal, the survivor, Razaq Lasisi, said he narrowly escaped from the kidnappers. Lasisi, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone, said the incident happened on Saturday.
Lasisi, a former secondary school principal, narrated that on his way returning home from his place of work around 9pm, there was an attempt to kidnap him.
He said the spot where the kidnappers wanted to abduct him was called Ogba Kehinde, a stone’s throw to his house. He said he saw a car with all the doors opened being parked at the entrance of Ogba Kehinde.
According to him, Ogba Kehinde is a six-acre land with some buildings on it but for some time now, it has been abandoned by the owner.
According to Lasisi, the palace was being used for a poultry farm long before Obada-Oko developed to the present state. He claimed that the buildings on the acres of land now harboured criminals.
Speaking on the fate of the kidnapped victims, Lasisi said the kidnappers have called the community and demanded a sum of N10 million and some hard drugs as ransom.
He said, “The kidnappers have called today and asked us to pay N10 million before they can release their victims.
“They said we should come along with packs of codeine, marijuana, water and food as ransom.
“But, after serious appeals, they have reduced the ransom to N1.5 million with codeine, water and food “.
While narrating his ordeal, he said “As I was about to alight from the car, a man came out from a hidden place in front of my car, where there is a barbing saloon and two other people came out at the back of the car.
“The one that came out from the side of the barbing saloon pointed a gun at me. Immediately I tried to escape, he shot me, but, glory be to God Almighty.
“He shot me twice, and as I was about to move faster, one grabbed me and I gave the person a heavy blow which made him to leave me.”
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident. He said one suspect had been arrested in connection with the incident.
Oyeyemi said, “Yes, it is true. The suspect arrested is a strong member of the kidnappers. We have commenced investigation and we will soon arrest them.”
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