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According to a report by Sahara Reporters on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, 35 Artillery Brigade, Major Idereghi Akari, has revealed that four hostages were killed by the kidnappers before they escaped through a river in a boat.
In his words, “The four hostages were later killed by the fleeing attackers before they escaped through the river channel in a boat.”
A joint security team was ambushed on June 8, 2026, while responding to a distress call near a dredging site in Ogun State where expatriate workers were carrying out operations.
According to Major Idereghi Akari, the attackers, believed to be kidnappers, opened fire on the security personnel, triggering a gun battle. One of the assailants was killed during the exchange. The others retreated into the forest towards the Ogun River, using five hostages as human shields to avoid pursuit by a quick response force sent in as reinforcement. Before escaping through the river channel in a boat, the fleeing attackers killed four of the hostages.
Akari said that one of the hostages managed to escape and later recounted that the gunmen also took the body of their dead colleague with them. He added that one soldier died in the encounter. Another soldier and two police officers were injured by gunfire and are receiving treatment.
