A kidnap incident has been reported on the Jesse-Oben-Asaba Road in Delta State, where a 24-year-old daughter of Mr. Billy Umoh, a newspaper vendor from Sapele, was abducted, along with eight other persons.
The Edo State Police Command has not yet officially confirmed the kidnapping; however, reports indicate that Hope Umoh, the vendor’s daughter, along with eight other individuals, were abducted on Monday.
The incident occurred when the kidnappers intercepted the bus carrying passengers from Sapele to Asaba, right before reaching Oben, a border town in Edo.
Findings from Africa Today News, New York reveal that two persons, believed to be the driver and conductor, made a daring escape while the kidnappers were leading them away.
The passengers, including Umoh’s daughter, were taken by the kidnappers into the secluded forest along the remote route after discharging several shots into the air.
With his heart heavy with worry, Mr. Umoh implores Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, and the security agencies to intervene and endure their safe release.
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He said: ‘I don’t know why it should be me, I am a common vendor, who has been in this business for years, I have no N10 million anywhere.’
‘The kidnappers have reached out and are demanding N10 million for her. Where will I get that kind of cash, even to eat is an issue.’
He said they have been to police stations on that border route ‘though the police have assured me of their efforts, I am still appealing to those in charge to intensity efforts.’
‘I have also visited the transport company, whose bus the passengers boarded, and we are not hearing anything tangible from them.’
In their official statement, the association’s Chairman and Secretary did not mince words — He described the abduction of Umoh’s daughter as nothing short of ‘inhumane and heinous.’
In no uncertain terms, the association charged the governors of Edo and Delta states, as well as the security agencies, with the crucial task of bringing the culprits to justice without delay.