Olufemi Adediran 
The operatives of the Ogun State Police Command on Thursday engaged suspected kidnappers in a gun duel.
The kidnappers, numbering eight had on Monday invaded the Idowa community in the Odogbolu Local Government area of the State and abducted a farm manager, Tunde Osifowokan at a poultry farm.
The masked gunmen reportedly stormed the poultry farm shooting sporadically after which they abducted Osifowokan said to be the younger brother of the owner of the farm.
The hoodlums were said to have demanded the whereabouts of the owner of the farm after which his younger brother stood up to say that the farm owner was not around.
On getting to know that the young man was the brother of their target, the kidnappers were said to have whisked him away amidst heavy shooting.
But, a team of police operatives who were on the trail of the kidnappers on Thursday engaged the hoodlums in a gun battle, killing five among them.
The police during the operation also rescued the victim, Tunde Osifowokan was rescued unhurt. The Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu disclosed this to journalists in Abeokuta on Thursday.
Alamutu said “At about 4 am on Thursday morning, our anti-kidnapping unit stormed the kidnapper’s hideout at Odogbolu forest along Sagamu-Benin expressway.
“The kidnappers engaged the squad in a fierce gun battle during which five of them, out of about eight were neutralised while the rest escaped with bullet wounds.
Exhibits recovered from the dead among the kidnappers are cash sum of N1,185, 070 suspected to be part of the ransom the kidnappers had collected.
“Other exhibits are one sword, cellphones, substances suspected to be hard drugs, charms, empty shells of AK47 riffle and sticks”.
Alamutu also said the corpses of the kidnappers have been deposited at the morgue of a General Hospital for autopsy.
The police boss said the command has intensified efforts to bring all the fleeing suspects to book warning that criminals who are hellbent on testing the strong resolve of the police in the state will have themselves to blame
