Police Recover Two Kidnap Victims’ Bodies in Edo Forest
The Edo State Police Command has recovered the decomposing bodies of two kidnap victims in a forest in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of the state and arrested a suspected member of the kidnapping syndicate responsible for the crime.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Moses Yamu, said one of the recovered bodies had been identified as that of 66-year-old Mrs Favour Nosakhare, who was abducted alongside Mrs Emmanuel Annabel Osasere, 28, and Miss Rejoice Otikpere, 26, during an attack on their residence in Iyowa Community on May 9, 2026.
According to the police, the kidnappers later contacted the victims’ families through a video call, during which the women were allegedly tortured and flogged while ransom was demanded for their release. The development heightened anxiety among residents and prompted the command to intensify efforts to rescue the victims and apprehend those behind the abduction.
The command said operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), working in collaboration with the Police Drone Unit, launched sustained intelligence-driven operations and aerial surveillance across forests and criminal hideouts in Ovia North-East and surrounding areas. On May 19, operatives reportedly tracked the gang to the powerline axis of the Ovia forest, where a fierce gun battle ensued. The suspects were said to have fled into the bush with gunshot wounds after being overwhelmed by police firepower, leaving behind a blood-soaked jacket and expended AK-47 ammunition.
The breakthrough came with the arrest of a 23-year-old suspect, Musa Haruna, who was found with a gunshot injury and allegedly confessed to being a member of the notorious kidnapping gang operating along the Benin-Lagos and Old Benin-Akure road corridors. Police said the suspect subsequently led operatives to a thick forest in Ogwa Community, where the two decomposing bodies were recovered on June 2. While one of the victims has been identified by family members as Mrs Nosakhare, efforts are ongoing to confirm the identity of the second body and apprehend other members of the syndicate still at large.
Commending the efforts of the VCRU and Drone Unit, the Commissioner of Police, Betty Otimenyin, praised the operatives for their resilience, professionalism and dedication. She assured residents that the command remains committed to dismantling criminal networks across the state and urged members of the public to continue providing credible and timely information to aid ongoing security operations.