From Tony Osauzo, Benin
The Edo State Government has disclosed that only 20 persons were abducted in last Saturday’s train station invasion by gunmen at Igueben and not 32 as earlier stated.
The state Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, who announced this, said with the rescue of seven of the victims, only 13 persons are still in the custody of the abductors.
Nehikhare explained that the latest information was gotten from security intelligence.
“From intelligence report, the kidnappers only took 20 hostages as against 32 initially reported”, he said.
The Commissioner said the state Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has met with Igueben community leaders and heads of security agencies to assure residents of measures to check crime.
He quoted Shaibu as saying that the government is strengthening security to check crime and criminality, vowing that the Governor Godwin Obaseki administration will make the state unsafe for kidnappers and other criminal elements to thrive.
Nehikhare said the deputy governor was joined at the meeting by other top government officials, including the Senator representing Edo Central Senatorial District, Senator. Clifford Ordia and the Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, Marcus Onobun, where he called for calm among residents of Igueben Local Government Area and urged members of the public to provide useful information that will aid rescue efforts by security agencies.
The Commissioner stated that Shaibu informed the people of what the government is doing to give a morale boost to troops on the ground and also review the security strategy.
He warned the people of the consequences of harbouring terrorists in their domain, just as he told the royal father’s within the area to sit up because if the government found out that they let out their facilities to be used by the kidnappers, such facilities will be seized.