The gunmen who attacked the Igueben Train Station in Edo State and involved in the abduction on of 31 passengers on Saturday, January 7th,2023, have allegedly demanded N620 million ransom.
This was disseminated on Monday, January 9th,2023 by the Executive Director of Esan Youth for Good Governance and Social Justice, Comrade Benson Odia, who mentioned that the kidnappers had contacted some families of the victims and demanded N20 million for each person.
Odia recounted the demand as ridiculous and appealed to the authorities to intensify efforts towards rescuing those still being held captive by the unknown gunmen
The police spokesperson Chidi Nwabuzor said he would confirm the accuracy of the claim.
The Edo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, reported that 6 of the 32 persons kidnapped from the train station had been rescued.
Giving a report on Monday, January 9th, 2023 the Edo State’s Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, mentioned in a statement that, amongst the six victims rescued included a 65-year-old man, a nursing mother and her baby, a six-year-old girl and two siblings.
Nehikhare disclosed that the rescue operation was carried out by a combined team of security agencies which embarked on what he termed “Operation Comb the Forest” and appealed to members of the public to give useful information that could lead to release of other captives.
The commissioner in a statement noted that the Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State had given directives that the criminals should be arrested and taken into custody.
He added that two wanted kidnappers who were not connected to the present case have been arrested and would also help the police in their investigation.
The statement read, “Following the directive from Governor Godwin Obaseki that the kidnappers that attacked the train in Igueben on Saturday be smoked out of their hiding and the persons abducted be rescued, we are happy to announce that six persons have been rescued.
“We commend the efforts of the rescue team in the bushes and their support staff that have been working tirelessly since the incident occurred to ensure the kidnapped passengers are rescued and reunited with their families.
“We are confident that the other victims will be rescued soon as the highly motivated security personnel are in high spirits and have doubled down on the hot chase of the kidnappers.’’
“As events unfold in the bushes, be assured that we will keep you posted and we crave the support of all stakeholders, particularly the media, to stay with the facts and avoid sensational reports that could further inflict emotional pain on the families and friends of the victims who are already in distress. Operation Bush Combing continues,” Nehikhare added.
Also, the NRC MD, in an interview on Monday, said the agency had gotten approval to acquire sophisticated security systems.
