Three killed as gunmen abduct 12 persons in Edo community
...community seeks Obaseki’s intervention
January 20, 2023
Barely 72 hours after the release of the 20 kidnapped victims of the Igueben train station in Igueben Local Government Area of Edo State, 15 persons were recently abducted by gunmen in the state.
The 15 persons were kidnapped at
Emokpae community in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State.
The residents of the community, who protested to the Edo State Government House in Benin City on Friday, said out of the 15 abducted persons three were killed by the gunmen.
DailyMonitorngr reports that between January 7 and January 20, 2023 no fewer than 38 persons have been kidnapped in the state.
Spokespersons of the protesters, Commander Egua said the incident happened on Wednesday.
Egua said a bus conveying children who were coming back from school and other market women were accosted by suspected herdsmen and were taken into the forest.
He explained that the suspected herdsmen appeared from the bush, killed three of their persons while others are still being held captive.
Egua, who said he is a
commander in charge of Agor Emokpae environ under Edo State Security Network, added that the abductors have contacted the victims' families, demanding N20million ransom.
According to him, on Wednesday as at 3pm, when our children were returning from school from the neighbouring community, gunmen invaded the road, took our children even the bike men that went to take them from the school, they were also kidnapped in the process.
"One minibus that was also taken passengers to the nearby community was stopped and the passengers were also kidnapped.
"As we speak, 15 persons have already been kidnapped and three of them are already been killed by the gunmen", he said.
Egua said they have decided to take the protest to the government house having heard about how the governor mobilized all the security agencies in the state to rescue the over 20 train passengers kidnapped by gunmen recently at Igueben.
"So, we have come to solicit the help of the government because we heard of an incident that happened at Igueben were about 20 persons were kidnapped, they mobilized all the security agencies in the state in freeing their hostages.So, the government should rise up and act fast", he added.
Another protester, Esther Matthew, appealed to the state government to help rescue her husband from the hands of the kidnappers.
"I am here to beg our governor, our father, to help me. They have kidnapped my husband and my son and my brother who went to rescue them, they have also killed him. We have seen his dead body", the 28-year-old woman said.
Also lamenting the abduction of her children, Gift Omoruyi said her two children were also kidnapped.
"My two children were coming from school when they were kidnapped. The boy is 13 while the girl is 15", she said.
When contacted, the Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chidi Nwabuzor said he was not aware of the incident.
Comments
Post a Comment