Eleven kidnap victims including a soldier were Friday rescued by the police in Edo State.
A statement by the Edo State Police spokesman, Mr. Kontongs Bello said that the police received information that a Young Shall Grow mini bus travelling from Ogoja, Cross River State to Lagos State with eleven passengers was forced to stop and all the passengers kidnapped and whisked into the bush.
Bello said that after the information was relayed, the Deputy Commissioner In-Charge of Operations, Mr. Miller Dantawaye immediately ordered the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Egba Division to mobilize for Rescue Operation and arrest the suspects.
According to him, the DPO Egba Division immediately swung into action mobilized police operatives from the division and local vigilante for bush combing around Ute Community in Uhunwonde Local Government Area of Edo State.
Continuing, he said that the police operatives on sighting the suspected kidnappers who already tied their victims in the forest opened fire on them, adding that the superior fire power from the operatives however made the suspected kidnappers to abandon their victims who fled into the thick forest with various degrees of gun injury.
The spokesman added that one of the victims who is a soldier and was recognized by the kidnappers as military personnel, was stabbed all over his body, they also collected his uniform that was seen in his bag.
Bello gave the names of the rescued victims as Chidoke Ugwuamyi, 27, Kingsley Iwuamadi, 43, Chisom Ezeh, 30, Okwoh Clement, 26, Obi Emmanuel, 26 and Chimbi Auta, 45.
The other rescued victims are Joseph Atang, 20, Ogar Utie, 30, Moses Odeh, Enoch Adamade, 40, Osato Amenaghawon, 25 and the driver of the mini bus, Chinedu Nwoke, 39.
Dantawaye who reinstated the police commitments for a crime free Edo State, urged the general public to continue to support the police with credible information that will lead to the arrest of criminals and their cohorts.
