The Ondo State Police Command, on Monday, said the travellers, which included five members of the National Youth Service Corps who were kidnapped along the Benin-Owo Expressway had been rescued after being abandoned in the forest by the abductors.
The kidnappers, numbering about 15, armed with AK-47 rifles, were reported to have accosted the Sienna bus conveying the travellers, at about 11 pm on Thursday at the Omi Alafa Village in Ifon, Ose Local Government Area and dragged the victims into the forest.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the five corps members, consisting of four females, and one male, were on their way from Enugu State, where they had undergone the mandatory orientation camp of the National Youth Service Corps.
They are Oluwaseun Adewole, Feranmi Oluwadara, Patience Andrew, Taiwo Oribamise, and Lekan Ajayi.
Our correspondent learnt that the driver and one traveller sitting in front of the vehicle were reportedly shot dead by the abductors.
After the abduction, the abductors reportedly contacted one of the families of the victims, threatening to kill them that same weekend and demanded the sum of N1m ransom on each of the victims.
The Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed the development to our correspondent in a statement on Monday.
She said, “The command this day July 22 has found the victims of the Ose/Ifon area kidnap which occurred on July 18, 2024. The victims were abandoned by their assailants after the police mounted pressure on the kidnappers.
“Policemen drawn from the tactical squad led by the Area Commander of Owo, ACP Olufemi Awoyale’s continuous combing of the bush with sustained technical support frustrated the assailants and forced the bandits to abandon the victims at the Oyinbo/Sanusi Camp.”
The police spokesperson said the victims were currently being attended to at the Police Medical Services, Owo, and would be handed over to their family members after being debriefed.
