By Desire Emmanuel
The remains of two female victims of kidnapping have been recovered by men of the Edo State Police Command while a member of the kidnapping gang was arrested and others escaped after a gun duel with the policemen.
It will be recalled that on May 9, three women, namely Mrs. Favour Nosakhare, Mrs. Emmanuel Annabel Osasere and Miss Rejoice Otikpere were abducted by kidnappers who invaded their residence in Iyowa community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area of the state and whisked them away into a nearby forest.
Days after the abduction, the kidnappers contacted members of the victims’ family through a video call during which the women were seen being flogged and tortured while their captors demanded ransom for their release.
The disturbing development heightened concerns among residents and further galvanised the Edo State Police Command into intensive efforts towards rescue of the victims and apprehending the perpetrators.
Acting on intelligence reports, operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), in collaboration with the Drone Unit, commenced rescue operations and aerial surveillance across identified forests and criminal hideouts within Ovia North-East and adjoining areas.
It was gathered that on May 19, the operatives busted the kidnapping gang along powerline within the forest where the criminals engaged the police in a gun duel but were overwhelmed by the superior firepower of the operatives.
At the end of the duel, the kidnappers fled into the bush with gunshot injuries. A blood-soaked jacket and expended AK-47 ammunition were recovered from the scene, while surveillance and tracking operations were further intensified.
This subsequently led to the arrest of one of the abductors, whose name was given as Musa Haruna, aged 23 years, with a gunshot injury, and who was discovered to be a member of the syndicate notorious for kidnapping and armed robbery activities along the Benin-Lagos Road and Old Benin-Akure Road corridors.
During his interrogation, he confessed to his involvement in the crime and led operatives to a thick forest at Ogwa community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area, where two decomposing bodies were recovered on June 2.
Sadly, one of the bodies has been identified as that of Mrs. Favour Nosakhare by the family and the second was that of a victim abducted in another kidnapping operation.
According to a statement by the command on Wednesday, June 3, investigation is ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate
