Edo Police Arrest Suspected Kidnapper, Recover Two Decomposing Bodies In Forest {VIDEO}

Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have arrested a 24-year-old suspected kidnapper, Haruna Musa, believed to be a member of a seven-man gang responsible for a series of abductions along the Benin-Lagos and Benin-Akure expressways.

The suspect was apprehended following a gun battle between members of the gang and officers of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) inside a forest hideout where the syndicate allegedly operated.

The VCRU Commander, CSP Osagie Godspower, led journalists and health officials to the forest, where the decomposing bodies of two kidnapping victims abducted from Ekiadolor last month were recovered along the Benin-Lagos Expressway.

One of the survivors recounted the harrowing ordeal, revealing that her family was abducted after armed men attacked their home in Iyowa Community, Ekiadolor. According to her, three additional families were later kidnapped and brought to the same camp, bringing the total number of captives to four families.

She explained that the victims were forced to move through the forest at night and rest during the day. Eventually, her family paid ₦11 million in ransom alongside other items, while the remaining families also paid varying amounts before securing their release.

The survivor disclosed that the kidnappers separated her 66-year-old mother, another woman aged 45, and a 15-year-old boy from the rest of the captives. Initially believing they would be spared because of their ages, the victims were instead taken away and shot.

She said her mother succumbed to gunshot injuries after praying for several minutes, while the young boy was later shot and killed.

During interrogation, Haruna Musa admitted belonging to the kidnapping syndicate. He claimed he was recruited after travelling from Ogun State, where he had been working as a cattle handler. According to him, he joined the gang out of fear after discovering the nature of the operation.

Speaking on the arrest, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikoedem, said the breakthrough came on May 19 when VCRU operatives encountered four members of the gang in the forest and engaged them in a fierce exchange of gunfire.

She stated that several suspects escaped with gunshot wounds, while Musa was later arrested while seeking treatment for injuries sustained during the confrontation.

According to the police spokesperson, the suspect subsequently led investigators to the locations where the bodies of the victims were buried, including that of the 15-year-old boy, which had already been evacuated.

The Edo State Police Command assured residents that efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest the remaining members of the kidnapping syndicate, expressing confidence that the gang would soon be completely dismantled.

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