Fourteen kidnapped victims have been rescued by the Edo State Police Command following a coordinated operation along the Fugar-Agenebode Road in Etsako East Local Government Area.
The update, which was contained in a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Moses Joel Yamu, said the command received a distress call at about 7:20 p.m. on Friday, that armed men had blocked a portion of the Fugar-Agenebode highway and opened fire on unsuspecting commuters.
The attackers reportedly killed two people on the spot and abducted several others in what was described as a brazen and coordinated act of violence.
A combined team of police operatives and hunters was immediately mobilised to pursue the kidnappers into the surrounding forest, where a gun duel occurred around Obe Hill by a pipeline leading to Ajaokuta.
At the end of the exchange, fourteen kidnapped passengers were rescued alive.
Sadly, a 12-year-old girl was fatally hit by bullets from the fleeing suspects during the crossfire, while one female victim remains unaccounted for, and search efforts are ongoing to ensure her safe recovery.
The Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, commended the swift response of the joint security team and assured the public that a manhunt for the fleeing suspects is underway.
