By Desire Emmanuel
Three members of a kidnapping gang who abducted a victim at a community in Oyo State have been shot dead by men of the state police command in collaboration with local hunters and vigilantes during a gun duel while the victim was rescued.
The kidnappers were shot dead during a coordinated security operation carried out at Otu in the Oke-Ogun axis in collaboration with local hunters and other security agencies on Monday, May 25.
According to the command in a statement on Tuesday, May 26, the operation followed a distress call received on Monday from local hunters who had gone on a hunting expedition in Otu and came under gunfire attack from the kidnappers.
Acting swiftly on the intelligence received, a team comprising police operatives, local hunters, and other security agencies mobilised to the scene at Otu and upon their arrival, the kidnappers opened fire and engaged the security team in a gun duel.
However, through what the command described as the “superior firepower of the team,” three of the abductors were shot dead while others fled in different direction with gunshot injuries.
In the course of the operation, security operatives recovered one AK-47 rifle without ammunition, one single-barrelled gun, and one machete from the scene, while the victim (names withheld, aged 50 years), who was kidnapped at Okaka and held captive in Otu, was rescued.
Although the man sustained gunshot injuries during the incident, he has been evacuated for urgent medical attention and is currently receiving treatment.
Also, one of the hunters who took part in the operation was promptly rushed to the hospital, where he is currently receiving medical care.
