Vigilante member killed in shootout with kidnappers in Edo

A member of a vigilante group in the Urhokosa/Obagie community of Edo State, has been killed in a shootout between the group and armed kidnappers on Thursday, as a vehicle plying the Benin-Ekpoma-Auchi highway was attacked.

According to the police in the state, passengers in the vehicle were kidnapped after the vigilante group was overpowered by the gunmen.

It was gathered that the gunmen had first attacked a commercial bus at the Urhokosa/Obagie end of the road and abducted a number of the passengers.

A driver identified as Martins Aibogun, who had managed to escape from the kidnappers, said there were two sets of the kidnappers and while one group led the first set of the victims to the bush, a second group caused the driver of the bus to use the vehicle to block the road while they continued their operations.

“There were two sets of armed kidnappers. I think they are coordinated in the way they operate. The security agencies must step up their tactics to address this problem that has become a daily occurrence”, he said.

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A trailer driver who saw the blockade, and suspecting they could be men of the underworld, was said to have refused to stop and rammed his articulated vehicle into the blockade, killing two of the passengers.

Aibogun added that other vehicles also ran into the traffic caused by the blockade, adding that they were attacked by another group of the kidnappers who selected victims and marched them into the bush.

Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor, said:

“Yes, the command is aware of the kidnap, but we are yet to ascertain the number of passengers that were kidnapped. Unfortunately, in the process, a member of one of the vigilante groups was killed during a gun duel with the kidnappers.

“The vigilante group in that community-engaged the kidnappers and one was killed. The effort is currently ongoing through bush-combing to free those kidnapped. Other information will be revealed as we progress,” Nwabuzor said.

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