Officials of the Edo State Police Command have foiled a kidnapping attempt along the Benin–Lagos Expressway and rescued a kidnapped woman in Ekpoma, in two separate operations carried out in the early hours of Saturday.
The Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, CSP Moses Joel Yamu, said in a statement that the incident on the expressway occurred around 2:30 a.m. at Morgan and Isiuwa slope when armed hoodlums barricaded the road with logs in their bids to abduct the occupants of a Toyota Sienna vehicle.
CSP Yamu said the police officials, led by CSP Opatoyinbo John of the Okada Division, responded to a distress call and engaged the gunmen in a fierce exchange of fire, adding that in the process the criminals fled into the bush, abandoning their mission, while the driver, identified as a 51-year-old Nana Aghogho, and his passengers, Oseghale Mathias and John Edobor, were rescued unhurt.
The Police Public Relations Officer said in a separate operation, officials of the Command attached to Ekpoma Division, led by SP Nelson Igbinoba, rescued Elohor Osifoh, a female victim who was abducted on September 10.
CSP Yamu said the kidnapped victim was safely reunited with her family after days of sustained bush combing.
The Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, Monday Agbonika, assured residents that the command remains resolute in its fight against crime, urging members of the public to stay vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements to the nearest police formation.
He also commended the gallant police officers in the courageous exhibition of strong commitment to duty.
