TELL Magazine

Two policemen attached to the Managing Director of a popular eatery (GT Plaza) in Benin City, Edo State, Pius Omofuma, were on Wednesday night allegedly killed by suspected kidnappers who attempted to abduct him. The hoodlums were said to have opened fire on Omofuma’s Lexus special utility vehicle, SUV thinking their target was inside but in the process killed the two policemen. The incident reportedly occurred along the Benin-Ekpoma Road.

In another development, the Edo State Police Command, in collaboration with a local vigilante group, have rescued a 35 year-old man, Joseph Patrick, from a suspected five-man kidnap gang operating at Ozege Junction in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

Parading,one of the suspected kidnappers, Yusuf Ismaila (17), who was arrested when the suspects allegedly engaged the police in a gun duel, said, he was introduced to kidnapping by his friend, Mohammed, who promised to give him money after the business.

According to him, “Mohammed called me to follow him, that he will give me money. I tied the victim’s mouth with clothes and we took him to the the bush. He said the man was owing them money. We tied him in the bush and Mohammed told me to go and fetch water from the stream. As I was coming, I heard gun shot and that was how I was arrested.”

The victim said he was driving through Ozege Junction in Ekpoma when the five-man gang accosted him and took him to a bush where he spent three days before the police and vigilante group rescued him. “I was driving through the Ozege Junction and suddenly, they came out from the bush and blocked me. They tied my hands, blindfolded and took me to the bush where they demanded two million naira from my family. It was my wife that went to the police, before the police and vigilante people rescued me.”

Commenting on the death of the two police escorts, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor, deputy superintendent of police, DSP, said investigation was ongoing. Nwabuzor confirmed that the police, in collaboration with local vigilante group on Wednesday rescued Patrick from the kidnappers’ den and arrested the suspect whom he said was helping the police with further investigation.