Gunmen abduct four travellers in Ogun as residents protest
…Abductors spare one Fulani, two Hausa passengers — Witnesses
By Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers on Tuesday night abducted four travellers in Olubo Village, along Abeokuta-Imala-Ayetoro Road in Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The abducted travellers include three traders and a driver who were returning from Ilara market in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of the state.
Olubo Village is the same spot where a medical doctor and a nurse traveling from Imeko town were also kidnapped about a month ago.
They were later released after an undisclosed sum of money was paid as ransom by the Nigerian Medical Association.
When our Correspondent visited the scene of the incident on Wednesday afternoon, residents of Olubo, Obada-Idi Emi, Imeko-Afon and Ilara barricaded the road in protest of the abduction.
This, however, hampered vehicular movement, while many travellers were stranded also on the road.
Our Correspondent gathered that five other passengers travelling in the same Toyota Avensis (Verso) SUV with number plate FFF 654 TK were however spared by the kidnappers.
Narrating their ordeal to Nigerian NewsDirect, Mrs. Akewugberu and Mrs. Rofiat Oladeinde, said the commercial vehicle was abruptly stopped by four gunmen, who shot into the air repeatedly.
They explained that the gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles and machetes, abducted the driver and three women who were selected randomly among the passengers.
They added that the abductors spared a Fulani and two Hausa passengers among them.
They explained further that the hoodlums collected their money and handsets.
Meanwhile, the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Ogun Police Command, Bolanle Muritala, who arrived the spot where the victims were abducted in a police helicopter marked 5N-GEJ, appealed to the residents to remove the barricade on the road, promising police were already on the trail of the abductors.
“We are going after the abductors, that is why we are here. We shall definitely get them,” The Police AC Ops assured.
A relative of one of the victims, Eunice Oladele, said she personally dropped her sister at a motor park on her way to Ilara on Tuesday morning, adding she was shocked to learn she had been kidnapped on her way back to Abeokuta.
Speaking in an emotion laden voice, Eunice said the kidnappers were yet to establish any contact with the family members.
Also speaking with our Correspondent, husband to one of the victims, Mutiu Oderinde, said his wife, Jelilat, traveled to Ilara market for trading to help her mother, who according to him was unable to go due to illness.
Mutiu, who was crying profusely, appealed to the state government and security agencies to secure the release of his wife and other abductee unhurt.
The Chairman, Park Management, Ayetoro Motor Park, Abeokuta, Babatunde Adelakun, said the kidnapped driver was his employee.
Adelakun said there are 48 police checkpoints, including 10 Highway Patrol teams, from Abeokuta to Ilara, berating the police for not doing their bit in protecting travelers on the road.
