Police rescue kidnapped hospital workers, arrest 41 suspects

The Ogun State Police Command has rescued workers of Lafia Hospital, Apata, Ibadan, who were kidnapped on Tuesday at the Ogunmakin end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

According to the command, the kidnapped victims were rescued on Saturday, adding that 41 suspected kidnappers were also arrested.
The hospital employees, including the son of the Chief Medical Director, were kidnapped last week Tuesday while returning from Lagos, where they had gone to purchase drugs for the hospital.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun State, Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement in Abeokuta on Monday.

Oyeyemi revealed that in addition to the three persons abducted on the road last week Tuesday, four others were abducted by the hoodlums on Wednesday.

According to him, the command, after receiving a distress call on the abduction of the hospital workers, deployed its men in the area to rescue the victims.

The PPRO said the personnel discovered the hideout of the abductors after the area was geo-located in the Fidiwo/Onigari forest, off the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Oyeyemi said: “Following a report received on July 23, 2019, on the kidnap of three members of staff of the Lafia Hospital, Apata, Ibadan, the Ogun State Police Command deployed high-powered security operatives in the scene of the incident with a clear mandate to rescue the victims unhurt as well as bring the perpetrators to justice.

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“The team, led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, embarked on a technical and forensic investigation as a result of which the kidnappers’ hideout was geo-located within the Fidiwo/Onigari forest along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

“To compliment the efforts of the command, the Inspector-General of Police graciously sent a police helicopter with which the area was properly surveyed.

“Having located the hoodlums’ hideout, the place was smoked by the chopper, which left the hoodlums with no other alternative but to hurriedly push out their victims from captivity.

“That was when we discovered that apart from the three persons abducted on July 23, another four persons were abducted on July 24, but their story was not reported.

“In all, seven victims were successfully rescued on July 27, 2019, and they have all been re-united with their families.

“One suspect, who is strongly believed to have taken part in the kidnap, was arrested and he is currently assisting the police in our investigation.

“To further rid the area of criminal activities, a comprehensive intelligence-based raid was carried out in all the surrounding forests as well as the vulnerable points in the area, where about 40 suspects were arrested with assorted illicit drugs.

“They are all being investigated and whoever is culpable among them will be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction.”

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