Police Rescue Five Kidnapped Polytechnic Students in Ogun After Gun Battle With Armed Abductors

Posted by Chinenye on Wed 29th Apr, 2026 - tori.ng

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(Gateway Polytechnic. Photo by Channels TV)
Five students of Gateway Polytechnic, Saapade, who were kidnapped by armed criminals in the Saapade region of the state, have been rescued, according to the Ogun State Police Command.

The event happened on Monday, April 27, 2026, at approximately 10:55 p.m., when Ipara Division got a distress report of a suspected kidnapping, according to a news release from Oluseyi Babaseyi, the Command's Public Relations Officer.

When an ash-colored Toyota car was found abandoned, a patrol team was quickly sent to the area.

"Mobile phones and other personal belongings were recovered from the vehicle, which had visible bullet impacts and blood stains," Babaseyi stated.

He continued by saying that a closer look at the site showed an identity card that belonged to one of the school's students, verifying that the occupants of the vehicle were students.

This development necessitated the immediate escalation of the incident and activation of a full-scale rescue operation.

"The Ogun State Command Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, promptly ordered the deployment of tactical units and directed an intelligence-led rescue operation to safely locate and rescue the victims in accordance with standard operational procedures," the statement stated.

Operatives from Isara Area Command, Ipara Division, SWAT, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, the Violent Crime Response Unit, the Quick Response Squad, and OP MESA were promptly mobilized in response to this direction, he continued.

Along potential escape routes, the agent also carried out coordinated tracking and bush combing operations.

The police claim that on April 28, 2026, the five victims were successfully freed from the kidnappers' possession thanks to persistent operational pressure.

"Due to conditions sustained while in captivity, the victims were immediately evacuated, debriefed, and taken for medical attention," Babaseyi said.

According to the PPRO, the kidnappers engaged in a gunfight with the rescuers during the rescue operation, but they were overpowered by superior firepower and tactical response, causing them to leave with suspected gunshot wounds.

He revealed that no security personnel casualties have been reported.