•Report by Kamil Opeyemi
Edo state Government has on Friday disclosed that security agencies in the state have rescued kidnapped by gunmen earlier this week.
Commissioner for Communication and Orientation,Christopher Nehikhare, disclosed this to newsmen in Benin.
According to him,the victims were rescued in the early hours of Thursday, January 12th, 2023.
The Commissioner reassured Edo residents of the government’s readiness to make the State uncomfortable for Criminals
He said:”I’m pleased to report that two more victims have been rescued from the Igueben train station issue. They were rescued in the early hours of yesterday.
“The operation is still ongoing, and we will also like to reassure the Edo people that we are going to make Edo state very uncomfortable for kidnappers or bandits or whatever nomenclature they want to go by.
“We will not allow them to have a camp here in Edo. You can see the swiftness with which we have been reacting to their operation, and you can see the successes we have been recording so far.
The Commissioner also briefed journalists about the rescue of the President of Igueben Area Customary Court, Precious Aigbonoga, who was kidnapped on Monday, January 9, 2023, at Ugoneki Community in Uhunmwonde Local Government Area.
He debunked the news that the police officer who died after the rescue died as a result of a bullet wound sustained during a gun battle between security operatives and the kidnappers.
“We’ve had the rescue of the magistrate of a customary court that was kidnapped a few days ago, by our gallant police officers after a great job was done.
“Unfortunately the release led to the death of one of our very gallant officers, DSP Adam Michael, who is from Bayelsa state; married with two daughters, and was attached to the Anti-kidnapping squad. He was just 34 years old.
“I was disturbed when I read that DSP Adam fell by a bullet during the crossfire. But I’m here to correct that impression. That’s not true,”the Commissioner said.
“He was one of those that went for the operation. After a successful operation, he died through natural causes. He was not shot by a bullet. There is no bullet wound on him, and he didn’t even die at the scene of the operation.
“So I think we should try and make this correction, and have accurate information. He was not felled by a bullet. But the State government led by the Deputy Governor and all the other Security chiefs, the Commissioner of police, the Air force, the Army, and the DSS paid a condolence visit to his widow and kids this afternoon.
“We are particularly proud of the bravery of this young officer. The way they conducted the operation and the victim was successfully extracted, and the kidnappers were also neutralized. None of our people sustained any injuries in the operation.
“At this point, we also once again congratulate the Police, the Air force, the Army, our Vigilante Network, and the Hunters for the wonderful job they are doing in making Edo safe for all of us.”
Cautioning journalists to always verify their information before distributing it, the Commissioner said:”Like I keep saying, we should not publish things without getting clarification to know exactly the issues.
“I would like to reiterate that we should wait for an official briefing before we go, both on social media and in a conventional newspaper. The issue is a very sensitive one. So we have to be careful what we say and how we say them.” Nehikhare stressed
Recall that,on January 9,it was reported that gunmen kidnapped several persons from a train station in Igueben LGA, Edo state.
The victims were said to have been waiting for an evening train to board from the Igueben station to Warri in Delta state, when the incident occurred.
At least 30 people were reportedly kidnapped, but Nehikhare, on Wednesday, said intelligence report showed that 20 persons were kidnapped from the train station.
The commissioner had earlier said seven of the abducted persons have been rescued.