Fears are mounting over recent attacks by kidnappers in the Ogun and Oyo states axes of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, with three reported cases recorded between January 8 and 17.
Some drivers and commuters who regularly ply the route told our correspondent during the week that they were worried by the incidents which according to them had become rampant since December 2021.
Penultimate weekend, a Toyota Sienna bus heading for Lagos from Ibadan was reportedly attacked by kidnappers who suddenly emerged from the bush at Onigaari end of the expressway and started shooting repeatedly.
A commercial driver, identified as Oluwatosin Aruwajoye, was killed in the process and five passengers abducted, while another victim, one Ibrahim Tiamiyu, was shot in the thigh. One of the passengers was said to have narrowly escaped.
Operatives from the Oyo State Police Command’s anti-kidnapping squad and the Toll Gate Police Division where the case was reported went to the scene for the on-the-spot assessment.
It was said that the kidnappers contacted the family of one of the five abducted victims, a female, and demanded N30m ransom. It is not clear whether the victims had been freed or rescued.
Also, last Saturday, a Nollywood actress, Bimpe Akintunde, shared how she and her daughter had a close shave with kidnappers along the same Oni-gaari axis on their way to Lagos from Ibadan.
Narrating the encounter on her Instagram page, the actress said the gunmen dressed in military camouflage shot directly at vehicles plying the expressway.
She wrote, “Let’s be careful on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. I escaped the bandits’ attack around 5pm this evening, after Oni-garri on my way to Lagos. They were shooting at all the vehicles coming from Ibadan. They were like 10 in army uniform shooting directly at us. God saved me and my daughter, I can’t believe this.
“Like, they were shooting directly at us! Where are we going in this country, broad daylight attack! God came through for us, I turned back! Followed one way and alerted other drivers too. Just help me thank God for my life and that of my innocent daughter. We are back in Ibadan and healthy but in shock.”
The following day, Sunday, hoodlums also donning military uniform abducted seven wedding guests at the Isara, Ogun State end of the expressway.
The victims had attended a wedding in Ibadan the previous day (January 16) and were returning to their base in Lagos when one of the vehicles carrying them broke down on the road.
One of the victims, Folahan Akinsola, said that they were attempting to tow the faulty vehicle when the kidnappers struck in the morning.
He said of the seven persons abducted by the gang, three of them were freed, as the hoodlums demanded N60m ransom for the others.
He had said, “The kidnappers were all dressed in Army uniform and commanded us to enter the bush. They were more than four, as there were some of them inside the bush. They took some personal belongings and set some of us free.
“I was part of the people that were released and we were told to go and raise N15m to secure the release of each of the remaining four victims. We are to raise N60m and that is why we are seeking help from Nigerians as these kidnappers said they would waste them if they didn’t get the money.
“After we regained our freedom, we called 911. We were driving back to Ibadan when we met some metropolitan policemen and also reported the case to them. But we were told that the case was not within their jurisdiction. We were referred to the Isara Police Division.
“We later reported the case there and got to know that the Divisional Police Officer had mobilised about 25 policemen to the scene of the incident. These kidnappers have been sending threat videos showing us our friends in their custody.”
Akinsola said on Tuesday that the remaining four victims were eventually released after payment of N7.5m ransom.
“We were the ones who raised the money alongside the company my friends work for, among others,” he added.
