No fewer than four hostages and a solider were reported killed during a kidnapping incident targeting Chinese expatriates in Magbon Village, Mowe area of Obafemi-Owode Local Government, Ogun State.
Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers stormed the dredging site popularly called Capo in the early hours of Monday.

According to eyewitnesses, one of the military personnel, protecting the people, was killed while another sustained gunshot injuries.

NEWSMEN learnt that during the bush-combing exercise, a local hunter supporting the operation lost his life in an encounter with the fleeing criminals.

Confirming the incident, in a statement on Tuesday, the Assistant Director Army Public Relations 35 Artillery Brigade, Idereghi  Akari, noted that the troops in conjunction with the Nigerian Police responded  to the distress call at a dredging site where expatriate workers were engaged in operations.

Akari stated that a fierce exchange of fire ensued, during which one of the attackers was neutralized and the remaining assailants reportedly abandoned their mission, withdrawing through surrounding forest terrain toward the Ogun River.

According to the statement, the kidnappers reportedly took five hostages as human shields to evade pursuit by a Quick Response Force deployed as reinforcement.

He disclosed that four hostages were killed by the fleeing attackers before they escaped through the river channel with a boat and one hostage who escaped recounted how the assailants took the body of their dead colleague along with them.

Part of the statement reads, “The incident occurred on Monday, June 8, 2026, when the joint security patrol was ambushed by armed men suspected to be kidnappers while responding to a distress call at a dredging site where the expatriate workers were engaged in operations.

“A fierce exchange of fire ensued, during which one of the attackers was neutralized. The remaining assailants reportedly abandoned their mission and withdrew through surrounding forest terrain towards the Ogun River, taking five hostages as human shields to evade pursuit by a Quick Response Force deployed as reinforcement.

“The four hostages were later killed by the fleeing attackers before they escaped through the river channel with a boat.”

The army also confirmed that a soldier lost his life during the encounter, while another soldier and two police officers sustained gunshot injuries.

He added that the deceased soldier and the recovered bodies of the four victims have been deposited at the mortuary of the General Hospital, Sagamu and the injured personnel are currently receiving medical attention.

“Following the incident, the Quick Response Force and other security agencies have intensified patrols and surveillance in the area to restore calm and prevent further security breaches,” the statement added.

Major Akari reiterated the military’s commitment to protecting lives and property, assuring residents that operations in the Mowe axis would be sustained until the fleeing assailants are apprehended.