The Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State is in the middle of a serious security crisis. A rise in kidnappings has made residents anxious and panicked. The most recent events have resulted in the kidnapping of at least five people, including a police officer.
The local government council and traditional leaders have put in place a strict curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. to try to stop the rising crime wave. But the kidnappings keep happening, almost every day, and people are living in constant fear.
Reports say that the recent string of kidnappings started on February 8th at the Makeke Primary Health Centre. Gunmen broke into the building and took Tope Oriloye, a female high school student, and Samuel Ilesanmi, who had gone to the health center with his wife and son.
Police Inspector Segun Obanowa, his wife, and his daughter were kidnapped from their home in Auchi in a different event. The kidnappers let his wife go later, but they made her responsible for raising the money needed to free her husband and daughter. This method, which is becoming more common in kidnapping cases in Nigeria, puts a lot of stress on families and makes the trauma of the kidnapping worse.
Bode Ekundayo, the National Coordinator of the Movement for the Advancement of Akoko Edo People, spoke out against the kidnappings in Benin and urged the government to act right away. Ekundayo said that the kidnappers who took Oriloye and Ilesanmi have already called their families and asked for a huge N100 million ransom for their release.
Ekundayo said, “Daring kidnappers struck again in Akoko Edo, this time at Makeke village, less than a kilometre from Ososo in the eastern part of Akoko Edo. They took away a secondary school girl, Tope Oriloye, and Samuel Ilesanmi on February 8 at the community health center.”
He went on to say, “In a similar operation in Auchi, kidnappers broke into the home of Police Inspector Segun Obanowa from Uma/Imoga in Akoko Edo and took him, his wife, and daughter. They later let his wife go to get money to free her husband and daughter.”
The Edo State Police Command has confirmed what happened and promised the public that they are looking into it to catch the people responsible and free the victims. However, residents are still doubtful because kidnappings happen so often and security forces don’t seem to be able to effectively deal with the crisis.
The rise in kidnappings has not only made people afraid, but it has also hurt Akoko-Edo’s social and economic life. A lot of people are too scared to travel or do their daily tasks, which hurts trade, farming, and other important areas.
