Tension as kidnappers lay fresh siege to Edo 

By Ozioruva Aliu, BENIN CITY

The recent spate of ransom-demanding kidnapping attacks in Edo State, peculiarly connected the state’s highways and targeted establishments, has triggered fearfulness among locals, drivers, and travellers.

For 68 days, young seminarians are held captive

Two students who were kidnapped connected Thursday night, July 10, astatine the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary successful Ivhianokpodi-Agenebode, Etsako East Local Government Area, Edo State, person not been freed 68 days later.

In a precocious circulated video, the kidnappers made the 2 young seminarians clasp what appeared to beryllium a quality skull portion requesting wealth to unafraid their release.

LP ward chair, Owojoba, inactive held captive 143 days after

Even aft his household paid N5 million, Asime Olowojoba, the Labour Party (LP) ward president successful the Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, who was kidnapped connected Saturday, April 26, on Auchi-Benin-Ibillo Road, remains successful the hands of his captors.

Realtor Owojoba was kidnapped portion traveling from Auchi to Igarra to prime up his kids, who were scheduled to commencement schoolhouse determination 2 days later.

The incidental took spot successful a unsafe country adjacent the Sasaro community, which has a past of convulsive kidnappings.

At first, the kidnappers captured everyone wrong the car, including Olowojoba, his housekeeper, and his kids. They aboriginal abandoned the location assistance and the children portion they took him away.

They demanded N50 cardinal and aboriginal N30 million, but the household raised astir N5 million, which the kidnapper collected with respective different items. Since then, they person yet to merchandise Olowojoba.

A household subordinate told NDV that aft they delivered the N5 cardinal ransom and different items, the kidnappers called 3 days later, demanding the remainder of the N30 million.

“They chopped disconnected connection with the household to date,” the household root added. Today is the 143rd time Olowojoba has spent with the kidnappers.

Abductors defy efforts to tame them 

Several cases of hostage taking person been reported crossed the 3 senatorial districts of the authorities arsenic kidnappers proceed to defy the authorities and information agencies’ efforts to checkmate them.

The Benin-Ifon Road and different areas thought to beryllium harmless successful the past person go unsafe, arsenic convulsive kidnappings person occurred connected the axis successful the past 3 weeks.

The astir caller was the kidnapping of passengers of a commercialized autobus and a Toyota Corolla car. Some of the suspects escaped to safety; astir six were reportedly taken away, and unconfirmed reports indicated the six families paid N60 cardinal to merchandise the victims.

 Some of the kidnappers, who reportedly fled from Delta State, stopped implicit astatine the Iyanomo assemblage axis, disconnected the Benin–Sapele Road, wherever they attacked motorists and travelers betwixt Ologbo assemblage in Edo State, and the borderline municipality successful Delta State.

A information root said the kidnappers seemed to beryllium nether unit from the neighboring Delta, Ondo, and Kogi States. They reportedly discovered fertile onshore in Edo State, which borders Delta State to the eastbound and Ondo and Kogi States to the north.

Soldiers leave checkpoints

There utilized to beryllium subject checkpoints successful the Sobe area, on the Benin–Ifon Road (Sabongida-Ora–Auchi) successful the Owan West and Etsako West section authorities areas. But soldiers person vacated their checkpoints connected the agelong successful the past fewer months.

This improvement has generated fearfulness successful the minds of residents and travelers, particularly connected the Edo North axis, fixed the information of the Benin–Auchi–Lokoja–Abuja Road.

Lawmakers bemoan insecurity

The tense information concern dominated the sitting of the authorities House of Assembly, which, successful a solution past week, called connected the authorities authorities and information agencies to instrumentality urgent steps to curb the menace of kidnappings successful the state.

Speaker Rt. Hon. Blessing Agbebaku urged the information forces to deploy the much than 100 vehicles that Governor Monday Okpebholo gave them beneficially, cautioning that they should not beryllium near idle but should beryllium connected patrol astatine each times.

He besides cautioned that leaving the vehicles idle alternatively of patrolling would not payment the state. 

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