Follow Us on Google
From Ngozi Uwujare
Operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber Crime Unit of the Edo State Police Command said they have killed no fewer than ten suspected kidnappers and armed robbers who were terrorising the state and had kidnapped several victims along the Benin/Asaba Expressway.
The police operatives also said they rescued 12 victims from the kidnappers’ hideout, just as five suspects were arrested in Ologbo-onu Village in Orhioumwon Local Government Area and Egba in Uhunmwonde Local Government Area of Edo State.
Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abutu Yaro told Saturday Sun that it has been an all-out war between the police operatives and kidnappers who have been terrorising the state.
He said the kidnappers carried out their nefarious activities along Asaba/Benin Expressway, Auchi Expressway, including Egba town and Ologbo-Onu Village where they allegedly kidnapped victims and kept them in their hideout. They then and demanded for N3 million and N5 million respectively as ransom from the relatives of the victims, the police boss said.
Abutu recalled that on July 28, a ten-man gang of kidnappers abducted two victims and took them to their hideout in Ogwuweka Forest off the Benin/Auchi Expressway. He said the victims’ relatives then reported the case at the Divisional Police Headquarters, Egba.
“They informed me and I sent the Anti-Kidnapping/Cyber Crime Operatives to rescue the two victims. The kidnappers’ gang started calling and asking for N2million ransom from the relatives. But the Anti-Kidnapping/Cyber Crime operatives, in conjunction with the Egba Police Division had an encounter with the kidnappers. Two suspects were shot dead while two were arrested on August 2, 2022.
“The two suspects arrested are identified as Mohammed Umar alias ‘Smalie Bokolo,’ 23 years old and Bashir Saidu, 30 years old. They rescued the two victims and the two suspects took the police operatives to their operation camp which is deep inside the forest in the Egba community,
“The Police recovered one AK 47 rifle with 24 rounds of 9.9mm ammunitions, two single barrel guns with five live cartridges and one Blue Saloon Golf car with registration number Edo UBT 490AA from another location within the Benin metropolis,” CP Abutu explained.
The commissioner stated that the two suspects, Mohammed Umar and Bashir Saidu took the police operatives to another hideout and operational camp at Power Line by Urokhosa Community, off Benin/Auchi Expressway, where they met another set of kidnappers and had a gun duel with them.
He said some of the suspects had fatal injuries and escaped while another two victims were rescued, adding that the victims had been in their captivity for five days.
He said intense bush combing of the area was ongoing for possible neutralisation or arrest of other fleeing gang members.
Mr Abutu added that on August 1, 2022, a gang of kidnappers dressed in Army camouflage attacked two vehicles along Ibillo/Ikiran-Ore Road.
He said they emerged from the bush and whisked six passengers away from the vehicles into the bush.
He explained that the Divisional Police Headquarters in Ibillo, in collaboration with the Military and vigilantes mobilised and swung into action immediately. According to him, three kidnapped victims were rescued. They include a 70-year-old woman, Mrs. Alice Audu, one Mrs. Isiaiah Ruth, 65, and Mr Dejor Isiaka, 50. He said the three victims were rescued unhurt.
“The police operatives killed two of the kidnappers while three other victims were later rescued in their hideout camp.
Abutu said that on August 5, 2022, the Police Division, Uyo received a complaint that three victims who were traditional worshippers were kidnapped and whisked into the bush to a river along the Benin/Abraka road for prayers.
“The police operatives in Uyo mobilised with the vigilance group and gave the kidnappers a hot chase which prompted the kidnappers to abandon the victims and flee into the bush,” he said. He explained further that on July 18, 2022, a gang of kidnappers abducted one Mr. Godwin Aigbogun, Chairman of the All Progressive Congress in Ward 9 Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo state.
He said the victim was kidnapped on his way to his farm in Ologbo-Unu Village.
“The Police Crack Team and the Anti-Kidnapping/ Cyber Crime operatives embarked on an aggressive bush combing and rescued the victim while the kidnappers, noticing the police presence, escaped and abandoned the victim,” the commissioner said.
CP Abutu recalled that when the Police Division in Fugar were on their stop and search routine patrol along Auchi-Ekperi Road, they arrested Emmanuel James 25, and Matthew Oghode, 31. He said the two were members of the dreaded Axe Confraternity and Black Axe.
“They have been involved in the kidnapping of two victims and robbed them of their valuable items. They demanded ransom and collected N1 million from their relatives. They have robbed along the Auchi-Ehperi axis of the state, collecting bags, phones, money and ATM cards from the victims. They also withdrew the victims’ money.
“The two suspects were arrested when the policemen gave them a hot chase while they wanted to enter the bush. They recovered from them their local guns, pistol and 10 rounds of cartridges which they used for their operations,” Abutu explained.
He further said that another set of three kidnappers were decimated at Iyuku road by Imeke Junction on Benin/Auchi Expressway on July 9, 2022 while the police were on patrol. He said the operatives shot the kidnappers during a gun duel.
He said it was during their bush combing along that axis that a corpse with a black mask, which they suspected to be a kidnapper, was discovered while a locally made pistol was recovered by his side.
CP Abutu further said that on August 10, 2022, the Police Division in Egba received a message that a gang of kidnappers had blocked the Benin/Lagos Expressway by Utekon Community Benin City. He said the Police Division Egba swung into action and had a gun duel with the kidnappers. He said four were shot dead while the rest of the gang escaped with gunshot injuries. He said the operatives recovered some arms and ammunitions like AK 47 rifles, pump action and 20 rounds ammunition from their hideout.
One of the suspects, Mohammed Umar spoke to Saturday Sun. He said: “I am from Kano State. I am into cattle rearing with my other gang members. We started rearing cattle in Benin City since 2021 and we started to regroup ourselves until when we were up to 15 members. We started our operation along the Benin/Asaba Expressway where we robbed a vehicle coming from Lagos to Onitsha. We attacked the vehicle and quickly marched the passengers to the bush. We ransacked all of their bags and collected all their money, their ATM cards and pin.
“One of our gang members usually goes to town to withdraw the money. We dealt with the victims. We allowed the female ones to go while we called the relatives of the female victims on phone and collected N2 million as ransom. Some of the victims who didn’t cooperate with us, we would kill them and abandon their corpses in the bush.
“Once we robbed and kidnapped victims along the Benin/Asaba Expressway, we moved again to Egba Town and kidnapped two victims. We took them to our operational camp at Powerline in Urokwosa community along Benin/Auchi road. We kept our victims and collected some ransom from their relatives. We have collected N2 million, N700,000, N300,000 at different times from victims’ families. We robbed vehicles coming from Abuja and Kogi State on the Benin/Auchi Road. We robbed passengers and collected all their belongings from them. It was when we had an encounter with the police operatives in August 2022 that they killed three of our gang members. We were arrested and we confessed to the police,” he said.
Another suspect, Bashir Saidu, who said he’s from Katsina State, also said: “We have robbed several victims along Benin/Auchi Road. It was some of our gang members who kidnapped the victims at Ibillol/Ikiran-Ore road while three of them were shot dead by police operatives. We have been terrorising this state and I am a cattle rearer. I took the police operatives into our hideout in the bush where they recovered all our Ak 47 rifles, pump action and cartridges. We brought our arms and ammunition from Kaduna State and we used them for our operations.”
At Egba community, Elder Samuel Iyara told Saturday Sun that the place had been a big hideout for kidnappers.
“Suddenly, we saw police operatives with vigilantes shooting in the bush. Three were shot dead while other kidnappers escaped and abandoned the victims in the bush,” he said.
The police commissioner said the arrested suspects would soon be charged to court.
