Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers over the weekend, abducted a Swiss expatriate attached to one of Olabel Farms in Ogun State, Andred Beita, after a gun duel with the police along Ibese – Itori road in the state.
Beita was kidnapped alongside his driver simply identified as Ifeanyi while returning from the farm on Saturday evening in an ambush, which also resulted in the death of one of the staff of the farm.
LEADERSHIP gathered that police escort attached to the Swiss expatriate and those of the chairman of the farm, Ola Bello, had engaged the gunmen in a gun battle, when the attackers ambushed them while returning from the farm in Ilaro, headquarters of Yewa South local government area of the state.ADVERTISEMENT
A source in Ilaro told LEADERSHIP that the convoy of the farm chairman, led by one Inspector Hassan Kumode, ran into the kidnappers and courageously engaged the kidnappers in gun fight.
It was further gathered that two staff of the company, Ishaya Ibrahim and Michael Kujore, were hit by stray bullets during the gun battle and were rushed to different hospitals in Sagamu for treatment.
One of the staff hit by a stray bullet, Kujore who was rushed to State Hospital in Sagamu was, however, later confirmed dead as a result of the gunshot injuries he sustained during the incident, while Ishaya was still responding to treatment as of the time of filing this report.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the incident told LEADERSHIP that two of the kidnappers were killed, while one AK47 was recovered.
“I am aware. The victims went to their farm around Ibese and on their way coming, the gunmen attacked them. But the policemen with them displayed a rare courageous bravery. They killed two of the kidnappers and recovered one big AK47 loaded with nine ammunitions from the kidnappers.
“In the process, two of the people were injured and were taken to hospitals. One died while receiving treatment.
“The hoodlums went away with a Swiss national and one other person. The policemen did not want to increase the collateral damage because if they continue to engage them, they had already kidnapped two of them and the police didn’t want to lose the victims, so we are still on their trail making efforts to ensure that those people are rescued unhurt,” Oyeyemi stated.
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