₦airaland Forum

·Two kidnappers nabbed

A combined team of police and vigilante group have rescued four lecturers and 11 students of the Geology Department of the University of Benin from the claws of suspected kidnappers in Igarra headquarters of Akiko Edo Council Area of Edo State.

Both lecturers and students were kidnapped while on field work within the area.

They were said to have boarded an 18-seater bus and were along Ihievbe-Ago axis in Owan East Local Government Area when gunmen swooped upon them.

They were subsequently marched into the forest by the kidnappers.

It was learnt that the driver of the bus and two students later escaped and alerted the vigilante group who were on patrol along the Igarra-Auchi Road.

The security outfit in collaboration with the police then mobilized and gave the kidnappers a hot chase which led to exchange of gun fire.

Two of the suspected kidnappers were later arrested.

The suspected kidnappers were said to have abandoned their victims and ran away.

Chairman Opoze Age Group in Igarra who is also head of the vigilante group, Ibukun Dogo said: “The driver of the 18-seater bus and two of the students escaped when the kidnappers rounded them up at gun point. They ran back to the highway where our vigilante group were patrolling and broke the news to them.

“The men contacted me and briefed me on phone and I ordered that they should go after them while I quickly informed the police for back up. While my men were pursuing the kidnappers, they were shooting and so my men were retuning fire but we ran out of ammunition but we were able to apprehend two of the kidnappers and they were taken to the police station,” he said.