Men of the Edo State Police Command on Friday evening rescued five kidnapped victims and arrested two suspects in connection with the crime. In addition to the arrest, arms and ammunition were also recovered from the suspects.
In a press statement by the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Bello Kontongs, on Saturday, the operatives, acting on a tip off that some hoodlums, suspected to be kidnappers, had accosted a vehicle conveying a corpse from Lagos to Imo State around Ute River, Benin-Lagos bypass, where they kidnapped three occupants of the vehicle, they moved into action.
“On receipt of the information, the Divisional Police Officer, Egba division, SP John Emmanuel, immediately swung into action, mobilised his operatives and the local Vigilante group for immediate bush combing. They advanced into Ute forest.
“After hours of bush combing, they came across the suspected kidnappers. On sighting the Police, they (kidnappers) opened fire on them (police). The team of operatives engaged them in a gun duel.
“The superior fire power of the Police operatives made the suspected kidnappers to abandon the victims. However, two (2) of the suspects were apprehended, they are Mohammed Ishaku ‘m’ age 25 and Mubarak Wada ‘m’ age 26, while others escaped with bullet wounds into the thick forest. Three locally made guns, two (2) live cartridges, two (2) Cutlasses and some charms were also recovered from the suspects,” the Edo PPRO stated
According to Kontongs, three of the kidnapped victims conveying the corpse were rescued alongside two other victims earlier kidnapped, adding that all the rescued victims had been taken to the hospital for immediate medical attention.
He added that effort was in progress to arrest other fleeing gang members.