Fatal Kidnapping Incident on Sagamu-Benin Expressway Claims One Life

The Ogun State Police Command has officially acknowledged the abduction of travellers at the Ilisan/Iperu axis along the Sagamu-Benin Expressway. State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Omolola Odutola, disclosed this to journalists in Abeokuta, emphasizing that the incident occurred on Friday.

While unable to provide an exact count of the abducted individuals, Odutola clarified that the assailants killed one traveller whose identity remains undisclosed. The incident, reported as a case of armed robbery, murder, and kidnapping, transpired around 6:55 pm on May 3.

According to the PPRO, approximately seven individuals armed with AK-47 rifles blocked the expressway. Upon arrival at the scene, the Divisional Police Officer of Ilisan discovered two vehicles riddled with bullets, as well as a third vehicle. The affected vehicles included a Lexus jeep 300 with registration number LND 640 DY, belonging to Chilaka Lugard, and a Lexus jeep 350 with registration number LSR 996 JF, owned by Kingsley Chineme.

Inside the Lexus 350, a cross bag containing N113,000, two iPhones (an iPhone 6 and an iPhone 11 Promax), and the corpse of an unidentified man with a gunshot wound to the head were found. Another vehicle, loaded with plantains and initially driven by one of the abducted individuals who later regained freedom, was also present at the scene.

The vehicles involved have been taken to the Ilisan police station. In response to the incident, Commissioner of Police Abiodun Alamutu convened an emergency meeting on Monday. He directed tactical commanders and the mobile squadron to pursue the criminals. The police commissioner personally visited the scene, assuring the public that the perpetrators would soon be apprehended.