Soji Ajibola, Ibadan.
Police have confirmed the death of one of its men and one other critically injured during the rescue operation of motorists and commuters abducted at Dominion University, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Friday.
Our correspondent reports that unspecified numbers of travelers were abducted by the gunmen at the scene of the incident.
Travelers were forced to make a detour as gunmen took over the road, forcing the people to abandon their vehicles while scampering for safety.
An eyewitness accounts disclosed that the incident was a case of kidnapping.
According to the source, empty vehicles were noticed at Dominion University spot of the incident with no passenger inside.
If it was a case of armed robbery, we would have seen the victims but this was not the case at the weekend.
However, the Police Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso was quoted in a statement saying that a police officer was killed while other one was critically injured during the attack.
The statement read, ‘On Friday 28/10/2022 at about 1835HRS, Operatives of the Command attached to Toll-Gate Division received information about sporadic gunshots heard along the Dominion University end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
‘ In swift response to the above, the Divisional Police Officer led a team comprising; Anti-crime patrol operatives, tactical teams, Police Mobile men and local hunters for immediate rescue and further intervention.
“During the process of prevailing and preventing further chaos from what was evidently an abduction scenario, an Officer attached to the Command paid the supreme price with one other badly injured and presently responding to treatment.
“So far, expended ammunition shells and (4) Four abandoned vehicles were retrieved at the scene.
‘Furthermore, the Commissioner of Police, CP Adebowale Williams psc(+)fdc has ordered Full-Scale scientific and technological aided Investigations to unravel the events that led to the incident with the Deputy Commissioner in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department leading the Charge.
“In the same vein, Care-givers, Traditional Healers and Residents within and outside the area of the shooting incident are advised to be on the look out for gunshot victims and immediately report any strange occurrence to the Police for prompt action”