Operatives of the Edo State Police Command, working with soldiers and specialized units, successfully thwarted a daring kidnap attempt by armed gunmen along the Benin Lagos Expressway at Isiuwa on Wednesday evening, rescuing 14 passengers including four juveniles.
The incident unfolded around 5:00 p.m. when approximately 20 gunmen, split into three groups, emerged from the bush and began firing sporadically at moving vehicles in a bid to abduct passengers.
The assailants targeted two Toyota Sienna vehicles. The first, with registration number RSH 210 CH, was carrying seven passengers traveling from Imo State to Ondo State. The second, bearing plate AME 211 YL, had six occupants.
The gunmen also attempted to overrun a police checkpoint in the area but were swiftly repelled by officers who immediately called for reinforcement.
A rapid response involving policemen at the checkpoint, the Operation Rescue Team, the CP Intelligence Squad (popularly known as the Buffalo Team), and Nigerian Army personnel forced the kidnappers to flee into the bush with some of their captives.
Security forces pursued the gunmen into the surrounding forest and, after a brief operation, rescued ten adults and four juveniles.
The rescued victims have been identified as Frederick God Bless, Prosper Admijom, Oluyemi Bolu, Amoo Muyiwa, Ifoma Uchije, Daniel Chibuzo, Solomon Audu, Samuel Chibuke, Kemi Olayiwola, Ugochukwu Irozuruike, and juveniles Chidera Ochije, Augustine Ochije, Chukwuka Ochije, and Obiakor Chisom.
Tragically, one person lost his life during the chaos. Abba Adam, a conductor aboard a Howo truck with registration DED 638 XB, jumped out of the moving vehicle in panic and was fatally struck by an oncoming truck.
His body was recovered and deposited at Emiloju Medical Center, Okada Junction.Three passengers from the attacked vehicles remain unaccounted for, and a search-and-rescue operation is still underway to locate them.Some of the rescued individuals have since continued their journeys safely after receiving medical checks and statements from the police.
Authorities have assured the public that efforts to apprehend the fleeing gunmen and recover the missing persons are ongoing, with heightened security now deployed along the vulnerable stretch of the expressway.
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