Gunmen kill young man, abduct others in Edo

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have killed a young man identified as Emmanuel Rufus and abducted others, including his sibling in Edo State.

The incident happened on Igarra-Ebilo road in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of the state on Saturday, July 22, 2023.

A source, who preferred anonymity, told NAN that the victim fondly known as EmmyRuff, was travelling alongside his two relatives in a Mercedes Benz GLK when gunmen emerged from the bush and opened fire on the car. 

The source said that one of the victims died in the process, while other occupants of the vehicle were whisked into the bush.

The spokesperson of the State Police Command, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, confirmed the killing, however, said it was not a case of kidnapping, but murder.

The PPRO said that the report from the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Igara division indicated that one Emmanuel Rufus was seen lying on the Igarra-Ebilo road in Akoko Edo Local Government Area of the state.

He said that the police and local vigilante were mobilised to the scene and met the victim with a bullet wound inside the car, with Registration Number: BEN 303 GM. 

The police spokesperson said that the body of the victim was later removed by his family for burial. 

He said the investigation into the matter was ongoing, adding that an effort was on to arrest the fleeing suspects. 

Meanwhile, a group, the Okpameri Descendants Union, has condemned the renewed onslaught by suspected kidnappers and bandits masquerading as herdsmen on the Igarra/Ibillo Road, especially around the Uneme-Nekhua – Ayetoro/Ogbe – Okpameri Junction area of the road in the Akoko-Edo Local Government area of Edo State.

In a press statement by the group’s spokesperson, on Sunday, July 23, Victor Arogunyo, called on the government and security agencies to beam their searchlights on the Fulani camp around the Uneme-Ayetoro area where he said these criminal activities take place almost daily while calling on the Igara unit of the Nigerian Immigration Service to profile those residing in the camp.

Part of the statement reads;

“This is to bring to the notice of the authorities the renewed killing in parts of Akoko-Edo Local Government Area which we condemn in strong terms.

 

“A Catholic man that was kidnapped last Tuesday was only released on Friday morning after paying a huge ransom. Again, last Thursday, a man from Lampese and his sister were robbed around the same spot and were dispossessed of their valuables, and the man was inflicted with machete injuries. They were on their way from Igarra to Ibillo.

 

“Two weeks ago, armed robbers and kidnappers took over Ayetoro/Ogbe/Somorika Junctions for several hours. It took the intervention of Igarra Police Division to clear the road for travellers to proceed on their journey.

 

“On Saturday around 3:30 pm, blood-sucking kidnappers and bandits reigned supreme around Ayetoro axis of Igarra/Ibillo Road that led to the killing of a young man from Ayegunle while his sibling and others were forcefully taken away into the bush,” he added.

 

“Efforts by members of the vigilante group and hunters in neighbouring areas to secure the release of the abductees has proved abortive. I urge the communities not yet involved to establish vigilante and hunter groups to support the ones already existing in that area,” he added.

 

The group hailed the synergy among the security operatives in Akoko-Edo including the vigilantes and hunters urging them to rework and overhaul their strategy to secure all the flash points in the local government ahead of the Igarra Aba Day in August which is acclaimed by local and international tourists and observers as one of the biggest indigenous festivals in West Africa.