By Desire Emmanuel
Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a medical doctor, identified as Dr Abu Ibrahim Babatunde and his younger brother, Abu Tahir, while about to enter their home in Auchi, Edo State.
The abduction was said to have occurred on Thursday evening along City Pride Road, Igbira Camp, Auchi, in Etsako West Local Government Area of the state.
Babatunde, said to be currently undergoing housemanship at the Edo State University Teaching Hospital, Auchi, was returning home from work with Tahir when the gunmen struck.
Sources in the town disclosed that the brothers arrived at their home at about 7:30 p.m. and Tahir had stepped out of the vehicle to open the gate when the gunmen emerged from hiding.
The attackers were said to have abducted the brothers at gunpoint and whisked them into the nearby bush.
Confirming the incident on Saturday, ASP Eno Ikoedem, the spokesperson of the police command in the state, said the command received a distress call on Friday about the abduction.
She said operatives were immediately deployed to the scene, while a coordinated manhunt was launched.
She said the search involved the police, vigilantes, forest guards and Community Safety Partnership Volunteers familiar with the terrain.
According to her, aggressive search-and-rescue operations have been ongoing in the surrounding forest since the incident, aimed at rescuing the victims and apprehending the perpetrators.
Ikoedem gave the assurance that the command would leave no stone unturned to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted brothers.
