The Ogun State Police Command has recorded another major breakthrough in its sustained crackdown on kidnapping and violent crimes, following the neutralisation of a suspected kidnapping kingpin during a gun battle along the Abeokuta Ibadan Expressway.
Operatives of the Command’s Anti Kidnapping Unit carried out the intelligence driven operation at a criminal hideout located within the Orile Ilugun forest axis in Ogun State, leading to the recovery of an AK47 rifle, live ammunition, cash and mobile phones.
The operation came days after the successful rescue of a kidnapping victim who was abducted on May 14, 2026, at Nufats Fuel Station along the Abeokuta Ibadan Expressway in the Odeda area of the state.
Police sources disclosed that the victim regained freedom unharmed on May 18 at about 8:30pm after intense pressure mounted on the abductors through coordinated security operations and intelligence gathering.
Following the victim’s release, detectives of the Anti Kidnapping Squad intensified efforts to track down members of the criminal syndicate believed to be terrorising parts of Ogun State and neighbouring communities.
Acting on credible intelligence, police operatives stormed the kidnappers’ hideout on May 19 at about 6:00am in a carefully coordinated operation aimed at dismantling the gang’s network within the forest corridor.
According to the Ogun State Police Command, the suspects opened fire immediately they sighted the operatives, triggering a fierce exchange of gunfire that lasted several minutes inside the forest.
The police team reportedly responded with superior tactical firepower, leading to the neutralisation of the gang leader, while other suspected members of the syndicate escaped into the forest with varying degrees of gunshot injuries.
Items recovered from the scene included one AK47 rifle loaded with twenty rounds of 5.6mm live ammunition, the sum of N2 million suspected to be ransom proceeds, as well as two mobile phones believed to contain vital investigative evidence.
Confirming the development, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ogun State Command, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, said the corpse of the neutralised suspect had been deposited at a morgue for autopsy, while efforts were ongoing to apprehend fleeing members of the gang. The Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni, commended the gallantry and professionalism of the operatives and reassured residents of the Command’s commitment to sustaining aggressive operations against kidnappers and other criminal elements across Ogun State.