Police alleged that the suspects were behind the kidnap of Lagos politician Kehinde Bamigbetan, Chairman of Ejigbo Local Council Development Area in Lagos State, southwest Nigeria.
Police said the arrested suspects are 27-year old Ogbonna Emenike and 25-year old Uchenna Nwanyu. The shootout took place at the weekend.
The items recovered from the suspects include four AK 47 Rifles, twenty-Eight AK 47 Magazine fully loaded and a thousand round of live ammunition. Others are army uniforms, a Honda CRV jeep with Reg No.ABC106AE and a Nissan Pathfinder Reg No.AGL730AZ as well as local charms.
The officer in charge of SARS said: “when I received the information about their hideout in Agbara in Ogun State, I quickly mobilised my men to their camp where they lodged.
“After 72hours of waiting in ambush, I and my squadron team stormed the place where all the kidnappers have gathered around 6.30 a.m. on 24/06/2013.
“As a result of this, seven of the kidnappers were fatally wounded during a heavy gun battle between the kidnappers and my men.
“Two of the kidnappers one Ogbonna Emenike and Uchenna Nnwayu were arrested alive with bullet wound.
“Also an Indian National one Mr. Vivex Changrani who was kidnapped in Ikoyi, at about 12 a.m. was also rescued successfully in the kidnappers’ hideout.”
The Lagos State commissioner of Police Mr. Umar Abubakar Manko warned other kidnappers to flee Lagos.
“Criminals will not have comfort in Lagos. Lagos is not a comfort zone. My advice (for criminals) is to go away from Lagos,” Manko said.
Bamigbetan was kidnapped in April by unidentified gunmen while he was about to enter his street, Ona Iwa Mimo, Ori-Oke near Egbe bridge in Ejigbo.
He was with his driver, Abiodun Olayiwola, in his black SUV with customised registration number Lagos KOK when the gunmen waylaid him.
The council boss was said to be on his way home from an official assignment when the incident occurred.
His SUV was badly damaged by an electric pole which stopped it while the driver tried to escape from the gunmen.
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