Female abducted from Edo marketplace as spouse managed to flee

Sunday evening witnessed chaos at a bustling vegetable market located off Airport Road in Benin City, the Edo State capital, as a woman was kidnapped after her husband managed to fend off the kidnappers and escape.

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The incident occurred near the residence of former Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi, where the woman had been shopping with her children and husband.

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Gunmen reportedly arrived at the scene in a commando-style operation, shooting at the tyres of the vehicle where the woman's husband was waiting.

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A witness described the ordeal as a kidnapping, stating that she had never experienced such a situation before, and recounted how she fell while trying to protect the kidnapped woman's children.

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The witness shared a video showing her mud-stained clothes and bruises, explaining that she had been buying items at the market when the incident occurred and had managed to save the woman's children.

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Footage from a CCTV camera appeared to show the assailant, who had alighted from a red vehicle, shooting at the tyres of a grey vehicle and dragging the driver, believed to be the woman's husband, into their vehicle.

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The husband, however, struggled free and ran away, prompting the gunmen to give chase, before they dragged the woman into their car and sped off.

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A radio message from the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC) Command Office alerted all formations to be on the lookout for suspected kidnappers wearing ESSC uniforms, and to stop and search all red vehicles, arresting any ESSC personnel in unmarked vehicles or unfamiliar individuals.

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Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, Eno Ikoedem, confirmed the incident, but classified it as an abduction rather than a kidnapping, stating that the woman, her children, and husband had been at the Vegetable Market when the abduction occurred.

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Ikoedem revealed that an investigation was underway, but declined to disclose any information regarding the potential motives behind the abduction, citing the ongoing investigation.

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The police spokesperson added that the husband, family members, and other relevant parties were cooperating with the investigation, and that further information would be released to the public at the appropriate time.