Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command have rescued five students of Gateway Polytechnic, Sapade, after a gun battle with kidnappers who abducted the students in the Sapade area of the state.

The incident occurred on April 27, 2026 at about 2255hrs, when operatives of Ipara division received a distress report of a suspected kidnapping.

Acting promptly, a patrol team was deployed to the scene where an ash-coloured Toyota vehicle was discovered abandoned.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi confirmed this to newsmen in a statement in Abeokuta, yesterday

Babaseyi said that the team observed visible bullet impacts and blood stains on the vehicle, while mobile phones and other personal belongings were recovered from within.

He said that further examination of the scene revealed an identity card belonging to a student of Gateway Polytechnic, Sapade, confirming that the occupants of the vehicle were students.

The Police PRO said that the development force the Commissioner of Police CP Bode Ojajuni ordered the deployment of tactical units and directed an intelligence-led full scale rescue operation to locate and rescue the victims.

He said acting on this directive, operatives of Isara Area Command, Ipara Division, SWAT, Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), Quick Response Squad (QRS), and OP MESA swiftly mobilised and conducted coordinated bush combing and tracking operations along suspected escape routes.

“The sustained operational pressure led to the successful rescue of the five victims from the custody of the abductors on 28th April 2026. The victims were immediately evacuated, debriefed, and taken for medical attention due to conditions sustained while in captivity.”

“During the rescue operation, the kidnappers engaged operatives in a gun duel but were overwhelmed by superior firepower and tactical response, forcing them to flee with suspected gunshot wounds. No casualty was recorded among security operatives.” The Police PRO added.

The Commissioner, however, commended the professionalism in the swift coordination of all tactical units involved, noting that the intelligence-driven response was decisive to the success of the operation.

He further assured that bush combing operations remain ongoing to track, apprehend and bring the fleeing suspects to justice.

Ojajun urged members of the public are urged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious movements to the nearest police formation or through the Command’s emergency lines: Gateway Shield (Toll-Free): 0800 000 9111; 0906 283 7609; 0912 014 1706; 0915 102 7369; and 0708 497 2994.