ByGBENGA AKINFENWA

One of the suspected kidnappers that engaged men of Ogun State Police Command in a gun duel in the Odeda area of the state has been found dead, while another with a bullet wound was arrested in a bush around the area.

The Guardian learnt that a group of kidnappers, who abducted a tipper driver on Friday afternoon at Mologede area of Odeda Local Government, exchanged gunshots with the police, which led to the death of one, while others escaped with gunshot injuries.

The tipper driver was abducted on Friday. The DPO of Bode Olude Division, DSP Durojaye Rotimi, mobilised policemen in conjunction with other security agencies to the scene, where the hoodlums engaged them in fierce gun battle, leading to the death of suspect and rescue of the victim.

According to a statement by the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi, a massive manhunt for the fleeing abductors as ordered by the Commissioner of Police, Edward Awolowo Ajogun.

He said in compliance with the order, the entire forest of Mologede was combed, and in the process, the dead body of one of the kidnappers was found while another one with a bullet wound was arrested.

“The arrested one, who identified himself as Mohammed Bello, was discovered to be an ex-convict who had just been released from prison custody in Ibadan, Oyo State. Some packets of tramadol and weeds suspected to be Indian hemp were recovered from them.

“The Commissioner of Police, Ajogun, has ordered the transfer of the suspect to the anti-kidnapping unit of the state Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation,” he said. (Text, excluding headline from The Guardian)