Mother, 3 Children Rescued From Captivity in Edo

On September 3, 2026, the Edo State Police Command successfully rescued a mother and her three children who had been kidnapped from their farm in Okpella, Etsako East Local Government Area. The victims were Patience Omonete, 40, and her children aged 14, 12, and 10. The kidnappers had abducted the family while they were working on their farm and carried them into the forest.

ASP Eno Ikoedem, the spokesperson for the Edo State Police Command, informed that the rescue operation was carried out in collaboration with the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC) and local hunters. Upon receiving an alert about the kidnapping, a security team was quickly mobilized to launch a coordinated rescue mission in the forest around the Onomi-Iddo axis of Okpella.

Thanks to the relentless pursuit of the security operatives, the kidnappers were compelled to abandon the victims and flee the scene. The woman and her three children were subsequently rescued unharmed and reunited with their family. Ikoedem added that efforts are currently underway to identify and apprehend the perpetrators to ensure they face justice for their heinous act.

In a separate operation, the Edo State Police Command arrested 22 suspects involved in various criminal activities across the state. Commissioner of Police Patrick Daaor revealed that the suspects were apprehended over the course of a week, spanning across different locations within the state. Among the charges they were accused of were kidnapping, murder, defilement, and armed robbery.

The suspects included nine individuals linked to an alleged 15-man gang terrorizing the Benin City metropolis and its surrounding areas. Daaor stated that the operation resulted in the rescue of five kidnapped victims who were unharmed and reunited with their families during the one-week period. Ongoing efforts are being made to apprehend the remaining members of the notorious gang.