Police rescue 11 kidnapped passengers in Edo

The Edo State Police Command has rescued 11 of the 18 passengers kidnapped along the Benin–Akure Highway.

The incident happened on Friday, December 12, near Obarenren village in Ovia North-East Local Government Area, as the passengers were traveling in a vehicle owned by a commercial transport operator.

Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikoedem, said the vehicle was ambushed at gunpoint by unknown gunmen, who forced the passengers out and took them away.

He said security agencies acted quickly after the report, with the Divisional Police Command joining forces with the Nigerian Army, local vigilantes, and hunters to search the surrounding bushes and forests.

“The operation led to the rescue of 11 of the 18 passengers on Sunday,” ASP Ikoedem said. The rescued passengers have been reunited with their families, while efforts continue to free the remaining seven victims.

The police spokesperson assured Edo residents that security would be increased, especially as the yuletide season approaches, warning that the state would not be a safe place for criminals.