Exhausted kidnappers doze off, 11 Edo farm workers run for their lives

Eleven kidnap victims abducted from farms in Edo State’s Etsako West Local Government Area have narrated how they escaped captivity after their exhausted abductors fell asleep following a night-long march through the forest, as the Edo State Police Command separately announced the arrest of 32 suspected kidnappers across the state in June

Their captors made one critical mistake — they fell asleep.

Eleven persons abducted from farms in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State have recounted a harrowing ordeal that ended with a narrow, self-engineered escape after their kidnappers dozed off from exhaustion following an all-night forced march through dense forest.

Speaking at a press briefing in Benin on Friday, victim Destiny Braimah described the moment six armed men intercepted him on his way back from the farm.

“I was coming from the farm when I met six of them armed with guns and matchet. They also captured others, making us 11 victims,” Braimah said. “They took us from one bush to another. It was around 6 p.m. that we heard police shooting. They made us walk throughout the night.”

The turning point came when the exhausted kidnappers finally stopped. “We got to a place, and they told us to hide. They were very tired. So they slept off. That was how we helped ourselves and ran away. We ran to the police station,” he said, adding that the victims had been beaten and maltreated throughout their ordeal.

Another victim, Gloria Inyanugbo, told a different story — she spent four days in the kidnappers’ den before her husband paid a N3 million ransom to secure her release.

Vanguard reported that the accounts emerged during a broader security briefing by Edo State Commissioner of Police Monday Agbonika, who disclosed that 32 suspected kidnappers were arrested across the state in June alone, with 38 victims rescued through intelligence-led operations.

Agbonika also announced the arrest of 15 suspected cultists, three armed robbery suspects, 11 murder suspects and 14 suspects linked to rape and defilement cases during the same period.

“The accomplishments we showcase today are the outcome of the commitment, professionalism, and selflessness of the Edo State Police Command officers, who collaborate closely with other security agencies,” the commissioner said.