11 Edo Kidnap Victims Flee Captivity After Exhausted Abductors Doze Off

Eleven victims abducted by suspected kidnappers in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State have regained their freedom after seizing a rare opportunity to escape when their captors reportedly fell asleep in the forest.

The victims narrated their ordeal on Friday at the Edo State Police Command headquarters in Benin City, revealing that the kidnappers became exhausted after forcing them to trek through the bush all night.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Braimah Destiny said he was returning from his farm when six armed men, wielding guns and machetes, intercepted and abducted him alongside 10 other persons.

According to him, the victims were marched through several forest paths as the kidnappers tried to evade security operatives.

“I was coming from the farm when I met six of them armed with guns and machetes. They also captured others, making us 11 victims. They moved us from one bush to another. Around 6 p.m., we heard gunshots from the police. They kept us walking throughout the night until we got to a place where they ordered us to hide. They were exhausted and eventually slept off.

“That was our chance. We escaped and found our way to the police. Throughout the ordeal, they beat and maltreated us,” he recounted.

Another victim, Gloria Inyanugbo, told journalists that she was kidnapped while working on her farm and held captive for four days before her family secured her release.

She disclosed that the kidnappers compelled her husband to pay N3 million as ransom and an additional N300,000 to purchase food, hard drugs and other supplies before she was freed.

“I was kidnapped on January 12 while working on my farm. They took me into the bush and demanded to know how much money I had. I remained with them for four days until my husband paid N3 million and another N300,000 for food, hard drugs and other items they requested,” she said.

Inyanugbo expressed relief that members of the gang had been arrested, explaining that community vigilantes first apprehended two of the suspects in the forest before police operatives tracked down and arrested others linked to the crime.

“One of them kept boasting that nobody could arrest him. I never believed the police would eventually get them,” she said.

The victims were presented during the Edo State Police Command’s June operational briefing, where Commissioner of Police Monday Agbonika reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-led operations against kidnapping and other violent crimes across the state.