0
0
Two of the passengers kidnapped in Edo State have regained their freedom after paying N10 million each to their abductors.
Gunmen had abducted 13 passengers on Saturday, October 25, 2025, around the NIFOR area near the Aso-Rock Police Checkpoint along the Benin–Sobe–Akure Road. The kidnappers reportedly spared the driver and two breastfeeding mothers during the attack.
According to reports, several victims remain in captivity as their families struggle to raise the N10 million ransom demanded by the kidnappers.
A source told SaharaReporters on Wednesday that one of the released victims, identified as Joy Ayeni, and another man who was shot in the leg, were freed after their families paid the ransom. However, another victim, Lucky Imoukhuede, is still being held.
“His family has managed to raise N6 million, but the kidnappers insist on collecting N10 million. We were told that N10 million is the standard ransom amount they are demanding,” the source said.
Meanwhile, a civic tech accountability group, MonITNG, has raised alarm over the increasing rate of kidnappings on Edo highways, calling on Governor Monday Okpebholo and security agencies to act swiftly.
In a post titled “KIDNAPPING ALERT IN EDO STATE!” shared on X, the organisation expressed deep concern about what it described as “the growing wave of insecurity in Edo State, as families are thrown into pain and fear.”
The group identified two victims, Mr. John Odion from Ogute-Emai in Owan East Local Government Area and Miss Ayeni Joy, among those kidnapped during the incident near the NIFOR area.
According to MonITNG, Odion had joined the ill-fated vehicle after being unable to find transport from Afuze to Benin City. The kidnappers initially demanded N20 million ransom for his release but later reduced it to N10 million after negotiations.
“Miss Ayeni Joy was also abducted around the same location while returning from Afuze,” the group stated, noting that her captors had made similar ransom demands.
MonITNG condemned the recurring abductions, describing them as evidence of “the frightening state of insecurity on Edo highways, where innocent citizens live in fear of abduction.”
The group appealed to the Edo State Government, the Nigerian Police Force, the Nigerian Army, and local vigilante groups to act decisively to rescue the remaining victims and restore safety along the Benin–Sobe–Akure corridor.
It warned that the situation “requires urgent intervention and visible security presence to prevent further kidnappings.”
