June 09, (THEWILL) — The Nigerian Army has confirmed the death of a serving soldier and four hostages following a foiled kidnapping attempt targeting Chinese expatriates at Magbon Village in the Mowe area of Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Monday at a private dredging site in Magbon Etido, Mowe, also left another soldier and two police officers injured during a joint security operation involving military and police personnel.
Initial reports had suggested that the attackers were suspected bandits, raising concerns over possible criminal incursions into the area.
However, the Ogun State Police Command later clarified that available findings did not indicate a confirmed banditry operation, describing the incident as an isolated criminal attack pending further investigations.
The latest details released by the Nigerian Army on Tuesday, however, revealed that the attack stemmed from a kidnapping attempt targeting expatriate workers at the dredging facility.
In a statement issued in Abeokuta, the Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala Barracks, Major Idereghi Akari, said the joint security team responded to a distress call from the site where expatriates were carrying out operations.
According to him, the security personnel encountered armed men suspected to be kidnappers, resulting in a fierce exchange of gunfire.
“One of the suspected kidnappers was neutralised during the exchange, while others retreated through nearby forest routes toward the Ogun River,” Akari said.
He explained that the fleeing attackers allegedly seized five persons and used them as human shields while escaping from security operatives who had been deployed as reinforcement.
“The attackers reportedly took five hostages as human shields while escaping from pursuing security operatives deployed as reinforcement,” he stated.
Akari further disclosed that four of the hostages were later killed by the gunmen before the attackers escaped through a river channel using a boat.
According to him, a surviving hostage informed security personnel that the fleeing suspects also evacuated the body of their dead accomplice.
The operation also recorded casualties among security personnel.
Akari said one soldier was killed during the encounter, while another soldier and two police officers sustained gunshot injuries and are currently receiving medical treatment.
Earlier, the spokesperson of the Ogun State Police Command, DSP Babaseyi, had confirmed that one soldier attached to security operations at the site lost his life during the attack and that investigations had commenced into the incident.
He said security agencies were working to establish the full circumstances surrounding the attack and identify those responsible.
Akari added that the remains of the deceased soldier and the recovered hostages had been deposited at the General Hospital mortuary in Sagamu.
Meanwhile, security agencies have intensified patrols and surveillance operations across the area as efforts continue to track down and apprehend the fleeing suspects.
The army spokesperson reiterated the commitment of the military to safeguarding lives and property through sustained collaboration with other security agencies in Ogun State.
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