The Ondo State Police Command has denied report of the alleged kidnap of 10 passengers who were on transit along the Ikere – Akure highway.
A statement made available to DAILY POST by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Femi Joseph, refuted the kidnap report which has been trending.
The purported kidnapping of about 10 persons as well as corps members has since Tuesday evening been making the rounds in the state.
However, the PPRO disclosed that only one person who happened to be a commercial driver was kidnapped on the road on Tuesday.
According to Joseph, the driver who has been identified as Felix Akinde was the only one in the vehicle, adding that he was on his way from Ikere-Ekiti enroute Akure, the Ondo State capital when the incident occurred.
His words: “The Ondo State Police Command wishes to allay the fear of the general public as a result of the news making the rounds on the Social media that an eighteen seater bus conveying some passengers from Ikere to Akure was blocked and ten passengers kidnapped.
“Some Online bloggers even referred to the victims as youth corps members. We wish to state that the story was exaggerated and good enough, the State Coordinator of NYSC in Ondo State has issued a statement, denying that any corps member was involved.
“To set the record straight, a space bus, Toyota Previa vehicle was driven by One Akinde Felix from Ikere Ekiti en route Akure yesterday 25/6/2019, with only the driver inside.
“At about 4 am on a spot close to the NYSC camp at Itaogbolu, the vehicle was blocked by suspected hoodlums while the driver who was the only occupant was whisked away.
“The command has since begun investigation and intensifying efforts to not only rescue the victim but to also arrest the perpetrators.”
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