Troops of the 35 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Ogun State have confirmed the death of a soldier and four hostages in a foiled kidnap attempt targeting Chinese expatriates at Magbon Village, Mowe, in Obafemi-Owode Local Council of the state. The brigade also confirmed that one of its personnel sustained injuries during the operations and is currently receiving treatment at the hospital.
Details of the Incident
Confirming this in a statement in Abeokuta, spokesperson for the brigade, Major Idereghi Akari, said the army killed one suspected kidnapper during the rescue operation. Akari explained that the incident occurred on June 8, 2026, when the joint security team was ambushed by armed men suspected to be kidnappers while responding to a distress call around a dredging site where the expatriates worked. He explained that a fierce exchange of fire ensued between the joint operatives and the suspected kidnappers, during which one of the attackers was killed.
According to Akari, the remaining assailants withdrew through the surrounding forest towards the Ogun River, taking five hostages as shields. “Four hostages were later killed by the attackers before they escaped through the river channel in a boat,” the spokesman said. “One of the hostages that escaped narrated how the assailants took the body of their dead colleague along.”
“Regrettably, a soldier lost his life during the encounter, while another and two police officers sustained gunshot injuries. The deceased soldier and the recovered bodies of the hostages have been deposited at the mortuary at the General Hospital, Sagamu, while the injured personnel are currently receiving medical attention.”
Security Response
Akari noted that following the incident, the Quick Response Force and other security agencies intensified patrols and surveillance in the area to restore calm and prevent further security breaches. Also, the spokesperson for Ogun State Police Command, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, expressed regret that during the bush-combing exercise, a local hunter supporting the operation was killed in a gun battle with the kidnappers. However, Babaseyi said that the joint security team neutralised one of the suspects, adding that efforts were ongoing to arrest the remaining members of the gang in the isolated criminal attack.
Community Concerns
A resident of Orimerunmu in Mowe, Mr. Joshua Falana, has notified of a strange group of people converging mostly at night at different spots within the neighbourhood. He said there were also unverified reports of criminals wandering between Asese, Orimerunmu and Pakuro environs waiting for opportunity. Falana called for urgent investigation and intervention by security agencies, given the worsening insecurity in the country, stating that some locations within the communities could be safe havens for undocumented migrants and foreign nationals to perpetrate all forms of criminalities.
HURIWA Demands Rescue of Abducted Borno Schoolchildren
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has expressed concern at the continued captivity of the 42 schoolchildren abducted from schools in Mussa, Askira-Uba Local Council of Borno State by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists. National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, noted that three weeks after the mass abduction, the silence surrounding the fate of the children remains disturbing and unacceptable. HURIWA called on the federal government, security agencies and relevant authorities to treat the matter with the necessary urgency and immediately coordinate all available resources for their safe rescue.
It expressed concern that among the abductees are toddlers between two and four years old, making the incident one of the most heartbreaking attacks on vulnerable children in recent times. According to HURIWA, “the apparent disparity in public attention and official response between the Askira-Uba abduction and similar incidents elsewhere in the country raises troubling questions about equity, justice and the value on the lives of Nigerian children, regardless of their geographical location.” Insisting that “every Nigerian child matters and deserves protection,” the group called on President Bola Tinubu, his security heads and all relevant security agencies to intensify rescue operations for the immediate release of the abducted children.
