Benue youths rescue kidnap victims, arrest three suspects
Local Youths Foil Kidnapping Attempt in Benue State
Ugbokolo, Benue State — Vigilant youths in Ugbokolo, located in the Okpokwu Local Government Area, successfully thwarted an alleged kidnapping operation late Wednesday night, rescuing several victims and apprehending three suspects.
A community member, who preferred to be identified as Adah, reported that the incident prompted a rapid mobilization of local youths to conduct a search operation after receiving alerts about armed men abducting travelers along the Ugbokolo-Aokpe road.
“Several individuals were abducted on Wednesday night, which led our youths to organize a search in the area,” Adah stated in a phone interview.
The search proved effective, resulting in the rescue of five victims and the capture of three alleged kidnappers, while one suspect managed to flee the scene.
Following the incident, the rescued victims were reportedly reunited with their families, and the apprehended suspects were handed over to security operatives for further investigation.
Adah Inalegwu, the Chairman of Okpokwu Local Government Area, confirmed the kidnapping incident. He noted that authorities have not yet established whether the three captured individuals were indeed involved in the crime.
“It is true that some people were kidnapped Wednesday night on Aokpe road, and our vigilant youths acted quickly to pursue the kidnappers,” Inalegwu said. “As the pressure mounted on the kidnappers, they abandoned their victims and escaped.”
Inalegwu mentioned that on Thursday, three individuals were seen in the community and were presumed to be kidnappers, but he emphasized that details regarding their involvement remain unclear.
As of this report, the Benue State Police Command had not received an official account of the incident. Police Public Relations Officer DSP Udeme Edet indicated that she had yet to be briefed on the situation.
