Gunmen Kidnap Police Officer, His Daughter Ans Three Others, Demand N100m Ransom

Five people, including a police officer, were kidnapped in two separate attacks carried out by gunmen in Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo State.

Bode Ekundayo, National Coordinator of the Movement for the Advancement of Akoko Edo People, disclosed this in a statement released on Wednesday.

According to him, the first incident happened at the Makeke community health centre on February 8.

He said the attackers abducted Tope Oriloye, a female secondary school student, and Samuel Ilesanmi, who had accompanied his wife and sick son to the facility.

Ekundayon said in another attack, the gunmen stormed the home of Police Inspector Segun Obanowa in the Uma/Imoga area of Akoko Edo.

He said the kidnappers and abducted the police officer, his wife and daughter, but later released his wife to go arrange for ransom to free her husband and daughter.

He said, “Daring kidnappers struck again in Akoko Edo, this time at Makeke village, less than a kilometre away from Ososo in the eastern part of Akoko Edo, taking away a secondary school female student, Tope Oriloye and Samuel Ilesanmi on February 8 at the community health centre.

“In a similar operation in Auchi, kidnappers invaded the residence of Police Inspector Segun Obanowa from Uma/Imoga in Akoko Edo and kidnapped him, his wife and daughter, later releasing his wife to go look for ransom to free her husband and daughter.”

Ekundayo said the abductors of Oriloye and Ilesanmi have contacted their families and are demanding N100 million for their freedom.

He explained that local hunters and vigilante members began searching the surrounding forests immediately after the Makeke abduction was reported.

He added, “However, the kidnappers called in the evening on February 9 to ask for N100 million for Tope Oriloye and Samuel Ilesanmi to be released.

“This trend of demanding N100 million to commence ransom negotiation is becoming a familiar thing, having manifested its irritating trend in previous kidnap ransom negotiations.”

He warned that insecurity in the area is worsening and called on both the Edo State Government and the Akoko Edo Local Government to take urgent action.

“We have written, warned, and passed timely information to all security agencies and the tiers of government in Edo State earlier. Or is it not yet obvious that the worsening scourge will snowball into intractable catastrophes in future? Akoko Edo is surrounded.

“Is it not clear that gunmen from Benue and Kwara States are fast descending on Edo State, their open gateway being the vast wilderness of Akoko Edo? ,” he said.

The Edo Police Command PPRO, Eno Ikoedem, confirmed the kidnapping incident in Makeke, noting that suspects have been arrested in connection with the crime.

Ikoedem noted that an investigation is underway to arrest other suspects, adding that efforts were made to rescue the victims.

She said, “I can confirm to you that a kidnapping case occurred at Makeke Village in Akoko Ado Local Government in Edo North. Some suspects are in police custody and efforts to rescue the victims are ongoing.”

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