Police Recover Two Kidnap Victims’ Bodies, Arrest Suspect In Edo
By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja
The Edo State Police Command has recovered the decomposing bodies of two kidnapped victims and arrested a suspected member of the kidnapping gang responsible for their abduction in Ovia North-East Local Government Area.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Eno Ikoedem, said one of the bodies was identified as that of 66-year-old Favour Nosakhare, who was abducted alongside Emmanuel Annabel Osasere, 28, and Rejoice Otikpere, 26, from their residence in Iyowa Community on May 9, 2026.
According to the police, the victims were taken into a nearby forest by armed kidnappers who later contacted their families through a video call, showing the women being tortured while demanding ransom for their release.
The command said the incident triggered intensive rescue operations by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) and the Police Drone Unit, who conducted sustained surveillance of forests and suspected criminal hideouts in Ovia North-East and surrounding areas.
On May 19, operatives reportedly engaged the kidnappers in a gun battle along the powerline axis of the Ovia forest. Although the suspects escaped with gunshot injuries, police recovered a blood-soaked jacket and expended AK-47 ammunition from the scene.
The breakthrough came with the arrest of Musa Haruna, 23, who was found with a gunshot wound and allegedly confessed to being a member of a notorious kidnapping and armed robbery syndicate operating along the Benin-Lagos and Old Benin-Akure road corridors.
Police said the suspect subsequently led investigators to a forest in Ogwa Community, where the two decomposing bodies were recovered on June 2.
Ikoedem said efforts were ongoing to identify the second body and apprehend other members of the syndicate still at large.
Commissioner of Police Monday Agbonika commended the VCRU and Drone Unit operatives for their professionalism and resilience, assuring residents that the command would continue pursuing all those involved in the crime until they are brought to justice.
He also urged members of the public to support security agencies with credible and timely information to aid ongoing operations.
