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From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen have reportedly killed three persons and abducted 13 others in Emokpae community in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State.
Addressing newsmen at the Government House in Benin yesterday, during a peaceful protest, leader of the group, who identified himself as Commander Egua, said the incident happened on Wednesday afternoon.
He said the bus conveying their children who were coming back from school and other market women were accosted by suspected herders and were taken into the forest.
Egua said the herdsmen who appeared from the bush have killed three of the abducted persons already while others are still being held captive.
His words: “At 3pm when our children were returning from school from the neighbouring community, the herdsmen invaded the road and took our children. Even the bike men that went to take them from the school were also kidnapped.
“One minibus that was also taking passengers to the nearby community was stopped and the passengers were also kidnapped.
“As we speak, 15 persons have already been kidnapped and three of them have already been killed by the herdsmen”, Egua added.
He said they decided to take the protest to the Government House having heard about how the governor mobilized all the security agencies in the state to rescue the over 20 train passengers kidnapped by herdsmen recently at Igueben.
“We have come to solicit the help of the government. The government should rise up and act fast,” he said.
He said he heard that one of the kidnapped persons said the kidnappers were demanding N20 million to free her.
Another protester, Esther Matthew, appealed to the state government to help rescue her husband from the hands of the kidnappers. Another woman, Mrs Gift Omoruyi, said her two children were also kidnapped. “The boy is 13 while the girl is 15,” she said.
When contacted, the Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, said he was not aware of the incident.
