Police deny kidnapping claim on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

The Divisional Police Officer of Warewa Command in Ogun State, Abdulfathi Ogunsanya, has denied a claim that a family were saved from being kidnapped along the Kara axis on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Ogunsanya refuted claims made by a Facebook user, Obaleye Gbenga, on Tuesday that a family in his church was saved from kidnappers.

Obaleye wrote, “Please be careful at Kara. The Fulanis had been kidnapping people. God had just saved a family in our church now. Please, don’t start rushing home from camp. Let it be like 7:30 am.”

Speaking to The PUNCH in a phone call, Ogunsanya said, “From the information I got, that cannot take place at the Long Bridge. He said they were led into the bush. There’s no way you can be led into a bush unless they throw you down from the Long Bridge.

“Nothing like that happened in my place. Meanwhile, the person said he and his wife escaped, pretending to be part of the kidnappers who were masked. Were he and his wife masked too before escaping from them?

“The questionnaire asked if there was any firing, and they said no firing. So they sent me a message that those things do not correlate with what the man is postulating. But for me, as DPO here, I never heard that.

“And we’ve combed that area to get those people committing the act of stealing but nothing like that. I’m still going back to the Bridge now to continue. So as for kidnapping, no case of kidnapping is reported here. Nothing like that happened in my area.”

The DPO added, “We’ve been there. We have combed the place earlier. The CP called me, the PPRO called me, and I gave them the same word that I told you. Nothing like that.”

He noted that he and his men were going back to comb the area as at filing this report.