The three Indian nationals who were abducted on May 3, 2024, on the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway gained freedom on Monday after spending three days in the hands of their abductors.
On Tuesday, our correspondent received exclusive word from the Ogun State Police Command that Tejaram Chauham, Kaduwal Pradhan, and Medani Kathiwada had been reunited with their families.
According to information exclusively obtained by our correspondent on Tuesday, about sixteen of them, employed by the Indian Breeze Company near the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway were returning home to their Pentagon Estate residence at around seven o’clock at night when a group of gunmen suspected of being kidnappers emerged from the bush.
The company’s manager, Akintande Segun, informed the police that the gunmen opened fire on their two Toyota Hiace buses, bearing the license plates FST 686 YH and SMK 986 YE, as soon as they noticed them approaching. This action resulted in the expatriates being abducted.
Furthermore, word spread that Inspector Joshua Shua, a police officer, had returned fire in self-defense and had fled the bus along with every passenger.
But the second bus, which had no mobile police officer and was carrying Chauham, Pradhan, and Kathiwada, was unable to escape its attackers during the raid, and all of the passengers were reportedly abducted and taken to unknown places.
A police source who was aware of the post-attack inquiry and preferred to remain anonymous due to lack of authority to comment on the subject claims that just one of the five police officers attached to the company was present when the expats were attacked.
A source said, “During the investigation, it was discovered that the company employed the services of five mobile men from 54 PMF Onitsha, but only one was on the ground during the attack. We deployed our men along with local vigilante personnel to comb the entire area to rescue the victims.”
“The three kidnapped Indian nationals have regained their freedom. They were freed at about 8:41 p.m. on Monday. Our men are doubling up their efforts to ensure the kidnappers are arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law,” as stated by omolola Odutola, the commands spokesperson.
On April 21, news outlets detailed the release of Chinese national PengChao Zhang from the custody of a six-member armed gang at the Cherish Guest House, which is located near the outskirts of Ilorin, Kwara State.
Before Zhang was discovered in a state forest, his captors held him captive for ten days.
According to reports, police officials collaborating with neighborhood vigilantes saved the Chinese national.
