By Ayo Yusuf
Barely 20 hours after the abduction of 25 members of the Christ Apostolic Church, CAC, Oke Igan, Akure, Ondo State, on the Benin- Akure expressway, the state police command said it has already rescued eight of the victims.
The members of the CAC, said to be choristers going for a burial event, were kidnapped by gunmen on Friday evening on the Benin-Akure Expressway, around the Ifon area in Ose Local Government Area of the state.
The hoodlums waylaid their bus and dragged the victims to an unknown destination in the bush leaving an empty bus with the inscription of CAC abandoned by the roadside around Elegbeka.
Speaking on the recent development, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed on Saturday that eight of the victims had been rescued while efforts were ongoing to rescue the remaining 17 victims.
“Good news!, eight victims rescued, effort is on to rescue others unhurt”, she said on a WhatsApp platform.
Reports said the abductors had waylaid the bus at about 3 pm the previous day at a place near Elegbeka village while they were on their way to Ifon for a funeral ceremony.
SP Funmilayo Odunlami had confirmed that an empty bus with the inscription of CAC was abandoned by the roadside around Elegbeka and men of the anti-kidnapping Squad of the Command have been drafted to the area to rescue the victims and apprehend the culprits.
The Owo/Ifon/Benin Expressway has become a dangerous corridor as several cases of kidnappings and armed robbery have been reported in the area in recent times.
It would be recalled that a grade A traditional ruler in the State, The Olufon of Ifon, Oba Israel Adeusi was killed around Elegbeka while travelling from Akure to Ifon in November, 2020.
