In the state’s Ovia North-East Local Government Area, the Edo State Police Command has apprehended one of the suspects and recovered the bodies of two kidnapped victims.
One of the bodies has been identified as that of Favour Nosakhare (66 years old), who was kidnapped by gunmen on May 9 along with Emmanuel Annabel Osasere (28 years old) and Miss Rejoice Otikpere (26 years old), according to a statement released on Wednesday by the state command PPRO, Eno Ikoedem.
According to the PPRO, the suspect, who was taken into custody after suffering a gunshot wound, guided agents to the location of the decaying corpses.
Edo State Police Command officers throughout the rescue effort. The statement stated, “It will be recalled that on May 9, 2026, three women, namely Mrs. Favour Nosakhare (66), Mrs. Emmanuel Annabel Osasere (28), and Miss Rejoice Otikpere (26), were abducted by armed kidnappers who invaded their residence in the Iyowa Community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State and whisked them away into a nearby forest.”
A few days after the kidnapping, the abductors made contact with the victims’ relatives via a video call in which they showed the women being severely tortured and flogged while their captors sought a ransom to free them.
Residents’ anxieties were heightened by the unsettling incident, which also prompted the Edo State Police Command to intensify attempts to rescue the victims and capture the offenders.
“Operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), in cooperation with the Drone Unit, began sustained rescue operations and aerial surveillance across identified forests and criminal hideouts within Ovia North-East and adjacent areas, acting on intelligence and utilizing both tactical and technological resources.”The kidnapping group was apprehended by agents on May 19, 2026, along the Ovia forest’s powerline axis. The suspects engaged the police in a hard gunfight, but the officers’ superior firepower ultimately prevailed.
The thugs were shot and ran into the jungle as a result. While monitoring and tracking efforts were stepped up, a blood-stained jacket and spent AK-47 ammo were found from the area.
The statement goes on, “A member of the kidnapping syndicate known for kidnapping and armed robberies along the Benin-Lagos Road and Old Benin-Akure Road corridors, Musa Haruna, a 23-year-old man with a gunshot wound, was arrested as a result of the meticulous investigation.
Two decaying bodies were found on June 2, 2026, in a dense woodland in Ogwa Community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area, after the suspect admitted to his role in the crime during questioning.
“The family has identified one of the bodies as that of Mrs. Favour Nosakhare, one of the victims kidnapped on May 9, 2026.”
the body that was found. Edo Police Command photo
Ikoedem expressed confidence that the Command would seize further escaping individuals, noting that tactical and intelligence-driven operations have intensified and that the investigation is ongoing to capture other syndicate members at large.
Monday Agbonika, the state commissioner of police, praised the VCRU and Police Drone Unit personnel for their perseverance, professionalism, and commitment to duty, which resulted in this significant advancement.
Agbonika also urged the people to keep working with the police by giving timely, reliable, and useful information.
He reassured locals that the command was still dedicated to protecting everyone’s safety and would stop at nothing to ensure that every member of the infamous criminal gang was apprehended and subjected to the full force of the law.
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