Our reporter
A wave of public outrage has erupted following the abduction of HRH Friday Ehizojie, the Onojie of Udo-Eguare Kingdom in Igueben Local Government Area of Edo State. The young traditional ruler was seized on Sunday evening by gunmen who ambushed him and his aides near Rest House Junction, along the Ubiaja-Udo Eguare road.
Eyewitness accounts reveal that the assailants, who were heavily armed, fired indiscriminately before forcefully dragging the monarch into a nearby forest. A motorcycle rider transporting the Onojie was fatally shot during the attack. One of the abducted individuals managed to escape and later recounted the ordeal to the ruler’s kinsmen.
Confirming the incident in a statement on Monday, the spokesman for the Edo State Police Command, CSP Moses Yamu, disclosed that the traditional ruler was travelling on a motorcycle when unknown gunmen ambushed them. He further stated that Edo State Commissioner of Police, CP Betty Enekpen Isokpan Otimenyin, had ordered the immediate deployment of tactical police teams, including the Police Mobile Force, to track down the kidnappers and rescue the monarch. The Area Commander has been personally tasked with leading the operation.
The abduction has heightened concerns over growing insecurity in Esanland, an area increasingly plagued by kidnappings and violent crimes. Governor Monday Okpebholo has been briefed on the situation, while citizens across Nigeria have expressed shock and called for urgent action.
Outpourings of prayers and condemnation flooded social media. A Facebook user, Friday Onabulu, wrote: “This is a desecration of our traditional values. This is bizarre, an affront and a taboo. Our traditional father must be rescued alive. May God protect him.”
The incident follows recent successes by local vigilantes, who last week apprehended three suspected kidnappers in Uromi and rescued an elderly hostage. Authorities have vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure the safe return of the abducted ruler.
