Hunters ambush kidnappers while collecting ransom in Kogi

It was another bad day for some criminal elements operating in Kogi State as two kidnappers were gunned down in the early hours of Tuesday while collecting ransom from the families of their victims from one of the neighboring states.

Following an actionable intelligence report, professional hunters in the Okehi Local Government Area of the Kogi ambushed the kidnappers who came out in the Abobo area behind the Nigerian Iron Ore Mining Company, Itakpe, to collect the ransom demanded before the release of their victims.

Two of the three kidnappers were killed in the process while one escaped into the bush with gunshot wounds. The captives were also freed in course of the operation.

Speaking to newsmen, the Divisional Police Officer, Okehi Local Government Area, Mr. Ovanja Yakubu said men of the Nigerian Police in his division have been drafted to join the professional hunters to fetch out the third kidnapper dead or alive.

In his reaction, the Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Onogwu Muhammed, maintained that the state cannot accommodate any criminal who wants to deprive the people of their peace.

The governor said he was elected and sworn-in to protect the lives and property of the people and will ensure such a covenant is kept for posterity.

He commended the professional hunters and the conventional security agencies in the state for their tireless efforts in rooting out criminal elements from the state.