Seven people, including five students of Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade, in Ogun State, have regained their freedom after a coordinated security operation rescued them from kidnappers without the payment of any ransom.
The victims, who had spent about a week in captivity after being abducted by gunmen, were rescued in the early hours of Thursday through a joint operation involving the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies.
Governor Dapo Abiodun announced the successful rescue while briefing journalists at the Governor’s Office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, alongside security chiefs and some of the rescued students.
According to the governor, the operation involved the police, the Armed Forces, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Ogun State Security Network Agency, local vigilantes and hunters.
“I am pleased to inform the good people of Ogun State that in the early hours of today, Thursday, August 6, 2026, the combined security operation successfully rescued all seven victims alive,” Abiodun said.
He disclosed that one of the rescued students sustained a gunshot wound during the incident and was immediately taken for medical treatment, adding that the victim had since been stabilised.
Abiodun also revealed that the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, approved the deployment of a police helicopter for aerial surveillance, which significantly boosted the rescue mission.
He assured residents that security agencies remained on the trail of other members of the kidnapping gang, stressing that Ogun State would continue to be hostile to criminal elements.
The governor praised President Bola Tinubu for supporting efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture, citing improved intelligence sharing, enhanced operational capacity and recent successes against kidnappers across the country.
Speaking at the briefing, Ogun State Commissioner of Police Bode Ojajuni confirmed that no ransom was paid to secure the victims’ release, saying the operation was carried out entirely through the coordinated efforts of security operatives.
Ojajuni added that two suspected kidnappers had been arrested and were providing useful information to investigators, while security agencies had intensified efforts to apprehend other members of the gang still at large.
(The Sun)
