Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted two persons from the Makeke Health Centre in Umakeke community, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State.
The National Coordinator of the Movement for the Advancement of Akoko Edo People, Mr. Omowumi Bode Ekundayo, disclosed this to journalists on Wednesday in Benin City.
He identified the victims as a nurse at the facility, Mrs. Gladys Okomayin; a female secondary school student, Miss Tope Oriloye; and Mr. Samuel Ilesanmi, who had taken his son to the health centre for treatment.
However, it was gathered that the abductors later released the nurse after she could not keep pace with them in the bush, leaving the other two in captivity.
Ekundayo said local hunters and vigilantes in Makeke had launched a search operation in the surrounding forest in a bid to rescue the victims, but the effort had yet to yield results.
He added that the kidnappers had contacted the community and demanded a ransom of N100 million for the release of Miss Oriloye and Mr. Ilesanmi.
He said, “We have written, warned, and passed timely information to all security agencies and the tiers of government in Edo State earlier.
“Or is it not yet obvious that the worsening scourge will snowball into intractable catastrophes in future? Akoko Edo is surrounded… Is it not clear that Benue and Kwara states are fast descending to Edo State, their open gateway being the vast wilderness of Akoko Edo?”
Confirming the incident, the Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, Eno Ikoedem, said efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the victims.
