The Edo State Police Command on Friday said that operatives of the Command had arrested two teenagers aged 18 and 13 in connection with the kidnapping of an eight-year-old at Erue Community in Uromi axis of Esan North-East Local Government Area of the state.
The Command’s spokesman, Kontongs Bello, in a statement said that in December 28, “at about 1300hrs one Testimony Akioyame ‘F’ (8) of Arue Uromi in Esan North-East was brought to Uromi Police Divisional Headquarters by a good Samaritan, he informed the police that he found her tied down in an uncompleted building at Erue community of Uromi.
“On receipt of the girl and the information, the police operative immediately swung into action and arrested the duo of Godstime Obioko ‘M’ (18) and Destiny Osevaru ‘M’ (13) of Erue community in Esan North-East Local Government Area”.
The statement added that the two suspects confessed “to have abducted the girl tied and kept her in an uncompleted building while they left her there to charge their phone so that they can be able to contact her parents”
“On coming back, they discovered that the girl has been rescued by an unknown person.
The suspects, he further disclosed, confessed that they intended to demand Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500,000.00) from the parents before she was eventually rescued.
“Investigation is still ongoing, the suspects will soon be charged to court when investigation is concluded.
The commissioner of police CP Philip Aliyu Ogbadu Psc(+) while thanking the public for prompt information which eventually led to the arrest of these criminals and rescue of the kidnapped victims, he reinstated his commitment to the safeguarding of life and properties”.
In a related development, the Command also announced that it rescued kidnapped victims and arrested one of the suspected kidnappers, who turned out to be one of the inmates, who escaped from Oko, Benin City, Correctional Centre, during the October 2020 #EndSARS protest in the state.
The Edo Police Command Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Kontongs, in another statement he endorsed on Friday, stated that “On the 29/12/2021 at about 1430hrs Operatives of the Edo State Police Command through Ugbowo division led by the Disional police officer (DPO), CSP Albert Udeme received information that hoodlums suspected to be kidnappers have kidnapped kelvin Omonedo ‘M’ , Adeleke Wasiu ‘M’ at Olienhen street and proceeded to ukhumwem Road in Benin City, where they also kidnapped the duo of Irene Edenabuohen ‘F’ and Rosemary Ojegue ‘F’.
The statement added that “On receipt of the information, police operatives from the division immediately swung into action, trailed and engaged the hoodlums in a gun duel, the superior firepower of the team of operatives made the hoodlums to abandon the (4) victims and arrested one of the suspect’s name Over Jamker ‘M’ of Ughelli, Delta state also an escapee from Oko Correctional centre during the end SARS protest of 2020. Efforts is ongoing to arrest the fleeing gang members”.