Eleven people abducted from their farms in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State have recounted how they escaped from captivity after their kidnappers reportedly fell asleep following an overnight trek through the forest.
Speaking at the Edo State Police Command headquarters on Friday, one of the victims, Braimah Destiny, said he was returning from his farm when he encountered six armed men wielding guns and machetes.
According to him, the attackers abducted him along with 10 other victims and forced them deep into the forest.
“I was coming from the farm when I met six of them armed with guns and machetes. They also captured others, making us 11 victims. They moved us from one bush to another. It was around 6 p.m., and we could hear gunshots from the police while they were taking us into the forest,” he said.
Destiny explained that the victims were forced to walk throughout the night before the kidnappers stopped at a hideout to rest.
“They told us to stay hidden. They were exhausted and eventually slept off. That gave us the opportunity to escape, and we ran to the police. They beat and maltreated us while we were in captivity,” he added.
Another victim, Gloria Inyanugbo, narrated a separate kidnapping incident in which she spent four days in captivity before regaining her freedom after her family paid a ransom.
She said she was abducted on January 12 while working on her farm and was questioned about the money in her bank account before being taken into the forest.
“I spent four days with them until my husband paid N3 million for my release. They also demanded an additional N300,000 to buy hard drugs, food and other items,” she said.
Inyanugbo praised the efforts of security operatives, revealing that community vigilantes apprehended two of her abductors in the forest, while police officers tracked and arrested the others.
“I saw one of them who boasted that nobody could do anything to him. I never imagined the police would eventually arrest them,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Police Command announced that it arrested 32 suspected kidnappers in June as part of intensified security operations across the state.
Commissioner of Police Monday Agbonika, who disclosed this during a press briefing in Benin City, said officers also rescued 38 kidnapped victims through intelligence-led operations and coordinated tactical responses.
He added that the command arrested 15 suspected cultists, three armed robbery suspects, 11 murder suspects, and 14 suspects linked to rape and defilement cases during the same period.
According to Agbonika, the command has strengthened intelligence-driven policing and sustained operations against kidnappers, cultists, armed robbers and other violent criminals to ensure they have no safe haven anywhere in Edo State..
