Police Rescue Seven Kidnapped Victims In Edo Forest

_{By Idahosa Musa}

_{A combined team of security operatives has rescued seven kidnapped persons from the den of suspected kidnappers in Ewohimi, Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo State.}

_{The Edo State Police Command disclosed this in a statement on Saturday by its Deputy Public Relations Officer, ASP Emem Ikoedem, who said the victims were abducted in the Ikeken Forest while they were working on their farm.}

_{According to Ikoedem, the rescue operation was led by the Divisional Police Officer of Ewohimi, in collaboration with operatives of the Nigerian Army and local vigilante groups.}

_{She said, “The Edo State Police Command has recorded another major breakthrough in its relentless onslaught against kidnapping and violent crimes in the State, as operatives of the Command have successfully rescued seven kidnapped victims in Ewohimi, Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo State.”}

_{The police spokesperson explained that the operation followed a report by one Enoch Omozokpia, who informed the police that his father, 65-year-old farmer William Omozokpia, was abducted by armed men alongside six others on Saturday, November 1, 2025.}

_{Acting on the report, the security team stormed the forest in a coordinated operation that forced the kidnappers to flee, abandoning their captives.}

_{The rescued victims were identified as William Akhabue, Innocent Ebarekor, Rachel Ebarekor, Efuah Ebarekor, Winner Ebarekor, William Omozokpia, and Lucky Igiese (popularly known as Bulala).}

_{All seven victims were rescued unhurt and have since been reunited with their families.}

_{Ikoedem noted that the Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, commended the gallantry and professionalism of the police operatives, soldiers, and vigilantes who took part in the rescue mission.}

_{The CP reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to the safety of residents and assured that efforts were ongoing to track down the fleeing suspects and bring them to justice.}

_{She urged the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious persons or movements to the nearest police station or through the Command’s emergency lines — 08077773721, 08037646272, and 08100389992.}