Suspected kidnappers have reportedly killed a 300-level student of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, and abducted five other people in separate attacks across Edo State.
The incidents occurred in the Idoa and Ekpoma communities on Friday, July 10, and Sunday, July 12, 2026.
In the Ekpoma attack, gunmen reportedly stormed a residence on Sunday night, killing a 300-level AAU student whose identity had yet to be confirmed as of the time of filing this report. The attackers also abducted a woman during the invasion.
The incident was made public through a post on the Esan Political Assembly Facebook page.
In a separate incident in Idoa, located in Esan West Local Government Area, armed men reportedly abducted the secretary to the community’s palace along with three children.
According to sources, the victims were kidnapped on Friday morning after the palace secretary returned to repair his vehicle, which had developed a fault the previous day while he was travelling to his farm.
A relative of the palace secretary said the gunmen emerged from the bush, seized the victims and marched them into the forest.
The source disclosed that the abductors had contacted the family and demanded a ₦30 million ransom, threatening to kill the victims if the money was not paid before the end of Monday, July 13.
He explained that the three children were neighbours who had accompanied the palace secretary to assist him in repairing the vehicle before returning home together.
The family has appealed to the Edo State Government and security agencies to intervene urgently and secure the victims’ release, adding that the incident had already been reported to the police.
As of the time of this report, the spokesperson of the Edo State Police Command, ASP Eno Ikoedem, had not responded to enquiries regarding the incidents.
The latest attacks come months after the killing of a prominent community leader, Chief Jimah Jacob Ogboi, in Idoa on February 26, 2026. During that attack, gunmen reportedly shot him dead in his home, assaulted his wife with machetes and other dangerous weapons, and abducted his two daughters.