A combined team of police operatives, local vigilantes and hunters have successfully rescued 14 kidnapped passengers in Aganebode, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State.
The victims were abducted at about 7.20 pm on Friday, July 11, 2025, by the gunmen who waylaid them along the Fugar/Aganebode Road, after killing two persons on the spot and abducting the other passengers.
A statement by the State Police Command Spokesman, CSP Moses Yamu, disclosed that during the encounter, a gun duel ensued along Obe Hill by pipeline leading to Ajaokuta.
While the passengers were rescued alive, “unfortunately, a 12-year-old girl was fatally shot by the fleeing kidnappers during the crossfire.
“One female victim is still unaccounted for, and search efforts are ongoing to ensure her safe rescue,” Yamu said.
Meanwhile, the State Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, has commended the bravery and swift response of the combined security team.
Agbonika who extended his deepest condolences to the families of the deceased, assures the general public that operations in the area have been intensified.
He assured the public that everything possible is being done to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice, as additional deployments have been made to prevent further attacks and track down the fleeing criminals.
247nextnews.com reports that just few days ago, some gunmen invaded Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary School, Ivianokpodi, Aganebode, where they killed an NSCDC operative, before kidnapping three students.
