Edo Police Uncover Gruesome Kidnap-Murder Plot, Arrest Suspect as Decomposed Body is Recovered from Shallow Grave
The Edo State Police Command has cracked a disturbing kidnap-murder case, arresting a prime suspect and recovering the decomposed remains of a missing farmer in Ovia North-East Local Government Area.
According to a statement by the Command, the case was reported on May 13, 2025, after 56-year-old Henry Ohiengbonmwan was abducted from his farm in Igueze Community on May 9, 2025.
Acting swiftly, operatives from the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping and Cybercrime Unit, relying on technical intelligence, arrested one Bassey Nyong Umeh, 33, of Oron in Akwa Ibom State on June 13, 2025.
Upon interrogation, Umeh confessed to conspiring with four others labourers previously hired by the victim to kidnap, murder, and bury him in a shallow grave on his farmland. Acting on this confession, detectives were led to the scene, where the decomposed corpse was exhumed under official supervision.
The Command confirmed that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining suspects.
Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, fdc, commended the officers for their diligence and urged business owners and farmers to thoroughly vet workers before employment. He reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to eliminating violent crime and called on the public to continue partnering with security agencies to ensure a safer Edo State.
