BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
THE Osun State Police Command has refuted reports that some suspected bandits kidnapped eight travellers along Akure/ Ilesa road in the state on Saturday evening.
A viral video had emerged with one of the travellers raising the alarm that the armed bandits waylaid vehicles plying the express road and abducted two drivers and six passengers.
The video showed some affected vehicles that parked without driver nor passengers and a long traffic on the road after the alleged kidnap.
Meanwhile, Police spokesperson in the State, SP Yemisi Opalola, in a statement on Sunday cofirmed that there was an attempted kidnap and robbery on motorists along the road but that the attempts were foiled.
Opalola explained that the kidnappers came out of the bush and attempted robbing motorists at Iwaraja along Akure/Ilesa road, around 6pm on Saturday.
She said the quick intervention of the Police, Joint Task Force and other local security outfits stopped the bandits from carrying out the robbery and kidnapping.
While reacting to the viral video, Opalola said the man talking in the video thought the kidnappers had abducted the drivers and passengers, not knowing that they ran away to safety.
“They hid themselves somewhere and later came out, the Police were with them until the last vehicle left.
“The DPO of Ijebu-Jesa ensured the safety of the motorists as the owners of the vehicles later came out and carried their vehicles away,” she explained.
The police spokesperson said the Commissioner of Police in the State, CP Olawale Olokode, wanted the kidnappers arrested by all means as an intensive manhunt had been launched in order to apprehend the perpetrators.
