Kidnappers abduct Police Inspector, four others, demand ₦100m ransom

By Jethro Ibileke

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted five persons, including a police inspector, in Edo North Senatorial District of Edo State, in two separate attacks.

The abductions occurred on February 8, 2026.

In the first incident, a Police Inspector, Segun Obanowa, an indigene of Uma/Imoga community in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, was reportedly abducted alongside his wife and daughter at his residence in Auchi, headquarters of Etsako West LGA.

The gunmen later released his wife, allegedly to enable her arrange ransom for the release of her husband and daughter.

In a separate attack, the armed men stormed a community health centre in Makeke, Akoko-Edo LGA, abducting Miss Tope Oriloye, a female secondary school student, and Samuel Ilesanmi, who had reportedly taken his son to the facility for treatment.

The National Coordinator of the Movement for the Advancement of Akoko Edo People, Bode Ekundayo, confirmed the development in a statement on Wednesday.

He disclosed that the kidnappers had contacted the families of Oriloye and Ilesanmi, demanding ₦100 million ransom for their release.

Ekundayo added that following the incident, local hunters and vigilantes in Makeke mobilised and combed surrounding forests through the night, but their efforts did not yield results.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Edo State Police Command, Eno Ikoedem, confirmed the Makeke abduction.

“We recorded a kidnapping at Akoko-Edo, where a staff of a health center was kidnapped.

“We have arrested some suspects, we are still investigating and everything is being done within our possible best to secure the safe return of the victims and arrest perpetrators of the crime,” she said.

As of the time of filing this report, the police spokesperson had yet to respond to enquiries regarding the alleged abduction of Inspector Obanowa and his family.

The latest incidents come amid rising insecurity in the area. On January 9, 2026, seven indigenes of Imoga lodged at Stay Boy Hotel along Imoga-Ibillo Road were abducted, alongside the hotel owner.