- Woman Killed After N11m Ransom Payment
- Edo Police Recover Body
- Exhume Bodies of Abducted Victims
Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have recovered the bodies of two kidnap victims allegedly murdered by their abductors in Isiukhu Community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State.
Eko Hot Blog reports that one of the victims, identified as 66-year-old Mrs Favour Nosakhare, was reportedly killed despite the payment of an ₦11 million ransom by her family.
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The Command’s spokesperson, ASP Eno Ikoedem, disclosed on Wednesday that the grim discovery followed the arrest of a suspected member of a kidnapping syndicate, 23-year-old Musa Haruna.
According to police authorities, Mrs Nosakhare, alongside Mrs Emmanuel Annabel Osasere, 28, and her domestic aide, Miss Rejoice Otikpere, 26, were abducted on May 9, 2026, when armed men invaded their residence.
Police said the kidnappers later contacted family members through video calls, during which the victims were allegedly tortured while ransom demands were made.
The development prompted intensified rescue operations by the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit in collaboration with its Drone Unit, which carried out aerial surveillance and intelligence-driven searches across forests and suspected criminal hideouts in Ovia North-East and neighbouring areas.
Ikoedem revealed that operatives engaged members of the kidnapping gang in a gun battle on May 19 along a powerline corridor within the forest. Although the suspects escaped with gunshot wounds, police recovered a blood-stained jacket and spent AK-47 ammunition at the scene.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Haruna, who was found with a gunshot injury. Police described him as a member of a notorious gang linked to kidnapping and armed robbery activities along the Benin-Lagos and Old Benin-Akure road corridors.
During interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed to participating in the crime and subsequently led investigators to a forest in Ogwa Community, where two decomposing bodies were recovered on June 2.
One of the recovered bodies was identified by family members as Mrs Favour Nosakhare.
Police said efforts are ongoing to identify the second body and apprehend other members of the syndicate who remain at large.
Speaking after the discovery, the deceased’s daughter, Miss Annabelle Emmanuel, alleged that the family had paid an ₦11 million ransom and supplied additional items demanded by the kidnappers before her mother was eventually killed.
Haruna, who claimed to be a cattle herder, reportedly told investigators that the seven-man gang operated along the Benin-Lagos and Benin-Akure expressways and that he was recruited by a gang member known only as “Doctor.”
The police assured residents that tactical and intelligence-led operations have been intensified and expressed confidence that the remaining suspects would soon be brought to justice.
