The Edo State Police Command has announced that its operatives rescued nine victims from two different kidnapping incidents in the state.
According to the command’s spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem, in a statement issued on Saturday, five victims were saved from an attack involving a GUO transport bus along the Benin-Lagos Expressway, while four others were released from captivity in the Imiegba forest in Agenebode, Edo North.
The statement read, “The Edo State Police Command is pleased to inform the general public that all five victims abducted during the recent kidnapping incident along the Benin–Lagos Expressway have been successfully rescued alive.
“This breakthrough was achieved following the immediate and massive deployment of tactical teams, intelligence assets, aerial surveillance, and other operational resources by the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, to the affected corridor.
“The sustained rescue efforts, coordinated bush-combing operations, and strategic dominance of the area exerted pressure on the kidnappers, ultimately leading to the safe rescue of all five victims. They have since received medical evaluation and treatment, and reunited with their families.
“The command also successfully rescued four other kidnapped victims who were abducted earlier this month and held in captivity within the Imiegba forest in Agenebode.
“They have likewise received medical attention and are safe, making a total of nine kidnapped victims rescued.”
The command assured residents that security presence along the Benin-Lagos Expressway and nearby communities had been greatly reinforced, noting that tactical, intelligence, and operational resources had been fully deployed across the area.
It further stated that efforts were underway to capture those responsible. “We are confident that all those involved will be tracked down and brought to justice in the shortest possible time,” the statement added.
Earlier, it was reported that suspected kidnappers attacked a bus on Sunday, killing the driver and abducting an unknown number of passengers travelling from Lagos to the eastern region after shooting at the vehicle and forcing it to stop.
A video shared online showed the aftermath of the attack, with a narrator claiming that passengers were taken into the bush after the driver was shot dead.
“The kidnappers shot and killed the driver. They also took passengers into the bush. I don’t know the number, but it looks like the entire bus was taken,” the narrator said.
