The Ogun State Police Command has revealed the identity of five persons abducted on Thursday night along Ogbere, in Ijebu-East Local Government Area of the state.

The five passengers were said to be travelling to Lagos from the Eastern part of the country when the incident happened.

The abductors reportedly emerged from the forest and forcefully stopped a commercial vehicle with registration number KW 230 XA belonging to Abia Line Transport Company and took the passengers into the forest, the Police said.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun State, Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement he sent to newsmen on Friday.

Oyeyemi said the Commissioner of Police would lead the rescue operation team, with all the tactical operations in the Command.

The PPRO said the abductors, numbering about 10, used the J3 Forest as their hideout.

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He said,

“On the 1st of August 2019, at about 3:30 pm, the Ogun State Police Command received information that a commercial vehicle with registration number KW 230 XA belonging to Abia Line Transport Company was coming from the Eastern part of the country, heading towards Lagos.

“On getting to J3 area of Ogbere, some hoodlums numbering about 10 suddenly came out of the forest and forcefully stopped the vehicle.

“Five among the passengers, namely, Chidioze Eluwa, Chiemela Iroha, Okoro Ohowukwe, Ndubuizi Owuabueze, and Ibeleji Chidinma, were abducted and taken to the forest.”

“The Commissioner of Police, Bashir Makama, is leading the operation to rescue the victims, with operatives from the Command’s tactical squads combing the entire area.

“The hideout of the hoodlums has been geo-located, but our men are trying to be tactical and professional in order not to jeopardise the lives of the victims we are making efforts to rescue.

“With the operation going on presently, we are rest assured that the victims will soon regain their freedom and the hoodlums will definitively be brought to book,” he added.

Earlier on Friday, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, had disclosed that five ministers of the church, on their way to the ministers’ conference were kidnapped on Thursday night.

Adeboye, who said this while speaking at the Church Ministers’ Conference holding at the Redemption Camp in Ogun State, appealed to the congregation to pray for the release of the captives.

He had said:

“As a father, how do you think I should feel to hear that five of my children have been kidnapped while on their way to attend the Ministers Conference?”

Oyeyemi, however, said the Command could not ascertain whether or not the captives were pastors of RCCG.