Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have thwarted a kidnapping attempt along the busy Benin–Lagos expressway and rescued another victim in Ekpoma after days in captivity.
In the early hours of Saturday, September 13, 2025, officers of the Okada Division, led by CSP Opatoyinbo John, responded to a distress call at Morgan and Isiuwa slope, where armed hoodlums had barricaded the highway with logs in a bid to abduct travellers.
The attackers, who opened fire on a Toyota Sienna with registration number KUJ 342 CU (Abuja), were confronted by the patrol team in a gun battle, forcing them to abandon their mission and flee into the bush.
The driver of the vehicle, 51-year-old Nana Aghogho, who was transporting fingerling fish from Lagos to Akwa Ibom, and two passengers—40-year-old Oseghale Mathias and 24-year-old John Edobor—were rescued unhurt. Police operatives promptly dismantled the roadblock to restore traffic flow and reassure other motorists.
In a separate development, operatives of the Ekpoma Division, led by SP Nelson Igbinoba, successfully rescued Elohor Osifoh, a woman kidnapped on September 10. She was reunited with her family after days of intensive bush combing operations.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, commended the officers for their gallantry and swift response, stressing that the command remains resolute in its war against kidnappers and other criminal elements. He urged residents and motorists to remain alert and report suspicious movements to security agencies for immediate action.
