A member of a six-man kidnap syndicate terrorising residents of Ondo and Kogi states has been killed in a foiled kidnapping bid, the Army said on Wednesday.
The kidnap operation was scuttled by troops of the 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army along the Kogi and Ondo border towns of ibilo-Isua in Igarra village while the kidnappers were attempting to abduct three travellers on the route.
Brigadier General Zakari Abubakar, the Commander of 32 Artillery Brigade, made the disclosure to journalists in Akure, the Ondo state capital.
He said the troops who were on patrol with other security agencies on the border towns encountered the armed gang.
“The bandit attempted to kidnap three (3) travellers in a gold-painted Toyota Highlander 2006 model with registration number AKD 55 GS,” he said. “On sighting the troops, the kidnappers tried to engage the troops in a gun battle but were defeated due to troops’ firepower.
“This resulted in the killing of one of the kidnappers while others escaped into the forest with varying degrees of gunshot wounds,” he added.
According to him, three of the kidnap victims were rescued from the scene after bursting the operation.
Abubakar revealed that the sum of 350,770.00 naira, a cutlass, 11 and a half sachet of tramadol hydrochloride (100mg), and one little black phone were recovered from the suspects.
However, he advised the general public to always give useful information on any suspected criminals and their hideout to the security agencies of the state.
