All seven students of Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade (GAPOSA), who were abducted by gunmen in Ogun State have been rescued alive following a coordinated security operation involving the police and other security agencies.
The successful rescue, announced on Thursday, ended eight days of anxiety for the victims, their families and the institution after the students were kidnapped from a private hostel along Paraga Road in Ipara-Remo.
The students were abducted on the night of July 29 when heavily armed attackers stormed the hostel, firing gunshots before whisking away the victims.
Addressing journalists at the Governor’s Office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Governor Dapo Abiodun commended the combined efforts of security agencies, saying an intensive search-and-rescue mission was launched immediately after the incident.
According to the governor, the operation involved extensive deployment of ground personnel across the affected communities and adjoining forests, with aerial surveillance later added to strengthen the mission.
Abiodun disclosed that he personally sought additional support from the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, through the deployment approved by the police leadership, leading to the immediate arrival of a police helicopter to complement ongoing operations.
He said the combined security effort culminated in the successful rescue of all seven victims in the early hours of Thursday.
The governor revealed that one of the rescued students sustained a gunshot wound during the abduction but was promptly taken to hospital, treated and stabilised.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring the safety of residents, warning that Ogun State would remain hostile to kidnappers and other criminal elements.
Abiodun also urged residents to continue supporting security agencies with timely and credible information, describing public cooperation as critical to sustaining the fight against crime.
Providing further details, Commissioner of Police Bode Ojajuni confirmed that no ransom was paid to secure the students’ freedom.
He explained that five of the victims were rescued during the first phase of the operation and taken for medical evaluation before being reunited with their families, while the remaining two were freed after security operatives, supported by aerial surveillance, raided the kidnappers’ hideout.
Ojajuni also disclosed that two suspected kidnappers had been arrested and were assisting investigators, while security operatives had intensified efforts to apprehend other members of the criminal gang still at large.
He assured residents that the operation would continue until everyone connected with the abduction is brought to justice.
