Kidnappers reportedly struck on the Long Bridge end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway this morning, August 9, 2022.
The incident happened about 6:20 am on the Lagos bound side of the busy expressway.
An eye-witness said the hoodlums struck during the usual traffic snarl caused by the ongoing rehabilitation work being carried out on the bridge by Julius Berger.
According to the eye-witness, a pastor of a Pentecostal church, some of the early commuters were herded into the bush by the hoodlums who were masked and armed with guns and machetes.
The vehicles abandoned by commuters who fled were reportedly ransacked and stripped of all valuables.
The cleric said he and his wife also abandoned their vehicle but returned 10 minutes later to pick it. All the valuables in the car had reportedly been stolen.
At the time of the phone conversation with the victim, he said he was at the Ogba Police Station to formally report the incident and obtain police extract for the phones and other items they lost to the hoodlums in the incident.
Listen to his account here.
Meanwhile, the public relations officer of the Ogun State police command in a release debunked the report. He stated that there was no abduction of anyone on the Long Bridge this morning.
He also did not acknowledge that there was even a robbery. He described it all as lies.
See his statement below.
AZ:5310/OGS/PRO/VOL.7/139
09/08/2022.
RE-BANDITS KIDNAPPED 20 PERSONS AT KARA BRIDGE.
The attention of Ogun state Police Command has been drawn to news circulating on social media that 20 people were kidnapped by bandits on Kara bridge along Lagos/Ibadan expressway.
In order to dispel the wicked rumor which is capable of causing panic in the mind of the public, the command wishes to inform the public that the said news is nothing but fake and lie from the pit of hell.
There is nothing like kidnapping of one talkless of 20 persons at the Kara bridge or anywhere along Lagos- Ibadan expressway.
Those behind the fake news are mere mischief makers, who always derive joy from causing unnecessary panic in the mind of innocent members of the public.
The general public are hereby advised to discontenance the fake news as nothing of such happened at the said Kara bridge.
In view of the road construction work going on in that axis, the commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Bankole, has ordered 24hrs surveillance patrol of the area to checkmate the activities of hoodlums who might wanted to take advantage of the traffic jams to perpetrate evils.
SP ABIMBOLA OYEYEMI,
POLICE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,
OGUN STATE POLICE COMMAND.
