Police recover bodies of abducted women in Edo, arrest suspect

By Jethro Ibileke

Police operatives have recovered the decomposing bodies of two kidnap victims from a forest in Ogwa Community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State.

The operatives also arrested a suspected member of a kidnapping and armed robbery gang terrorising the Benin-Lagos Road and Old Benin-Akure Road corridors.

One of the recovered bodies was identified by family members as that of Mrs. Favour Nosakhare.

Three women — Mrs. Favour Nosakhare, 66; Mrs. Emmanuel Annabel Osasere, 28; and Miss Rejoice Otikpere, 26 — were abducted by armed kidnappers who invaded their residence in Iyowa Community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State, on May 9, 2026.

Days after the abduction, the kidnappers contacted members of the victims’ families through a video call during which the women were seen being brutally flogged and tortured while their captors demanded ransom for their release.

A statement issued on Wednesday by the Edo State Police Command’s spokesperson, Eno Ikioedem, said the disturbing incident heightened concerns among residents and prompted the command to intensify efforts to rescue the victims and apprehend the perpetrators.

She said: “The disturbing development heightened concerns among residents and further galvanized the Edo State Police Command into intensive efforts towards rescuing the victims and apprehending the perpetrators.

“Acting on intelligence and leveraging both tactical and technological resources, operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), in collaboration with the Drone Unit, commenced sustained rescue operations and aerial surveillance across identified forests and criminal hideouts within Ovia North-East and adjoining areas.

“On May 19, 2026, operatives busted the kidnapping gang along a powerline within the forest. The suspects engaged the police in a fierce gun battle but were overwhelmed by the superior firepower of the operatives.

“As a result, the hoodlums fled into the bush with gunshot wounds. A blood-soaked jacket and spent AK-47 ammunition were recovered from the scene, while surveillance and tracking operations were further intensified.”

Ikioedem disclosed that a painstaking investigation subsequently led to the arrest of a suspected member of the kidnapping syndicate, Musa Haruna, 23, who was found with a gunshot wound.

“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to his involvement in the crime and led operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit into a forest in Ogwa Community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area, where two decomposing bodies were recovered on June 2, 2026.

“One of the bodies has been identified by the family as that of Mrs. Favour Nosakhare, one of the victims abducted during the incident of May 9, 2026,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, appealed to members of the public to continue partnering with the police by providing timely, credible, and actionable information.

Agbonika assured residents that the command remains committed to ensuring the safety of all citizens and will leave no stone unturned until every member of the notorious criminal syndicate is arrested and brought to justice.