Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have exhumed the bodies of two kidnap victims allegedly killed by their abductors in Isiukhu Community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area of the state.

DAILY POST gathered that one of the victims, 66-year-old Mrs Favour Nosakhare, was killed after allegedly paying N11 million ransom to the abductors.

The Public Relations Officer of the Command, ASP, Eno Ikoedem, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday.

Ikoedem said the exhumation of the corpses followed the arrest of a 23-year-old, Musa Haruna, a member of a syndicates notorious for kidnapping and armed robbery.

She gave the names of the other abducted victims as Mrs Emmanuel Annabel Osasere, 28, and Miss Rejoice Otikpere, 26, a domestic aide.

She said the victims were abducted on May 9, 2026, when gunmen invaded their residence.

The police spokesperson said, “Days after the abduction, the kidnappers contacted members of the victims’ family through a video call during which the women were seen being brutally flogged and tortured while their captors demanded ransom for their release.

“The disturbing development heightened concerns among residents and further galvanised the Edo State Police Command into intensive efforts towards the rescue of the victims and the apprehension of the perpetrators.

“Acting on intelligence and leveraging both tactical and technological resources, operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), in collaboration with the Drone Unit, commenced sustained rescue operations and aerial surveillance across identified forests and criminal hideouts within Ovia North-East and adjoining areas.

“On 19th May, 2026, operatives busted the kidnapping gang along the powerline within the forest. The suspects engaged the police in a fierce gun duel but were overwhelmed by the superior firepower of the operatives. As a result, the hoodlums fled into the bush with gunshot injuries. A blood-soaked jacket and expended AK-47 ammunition were recovered from the scene, while surveillance and tracking operations were further intensified.

“The painstaking investigation subsequently led to the arrest of one Musa Haruna, male, 23 years, with a gunshot injury, who is a member of the kidnapping syndicate notorious for kidnapping and armed robbery activities along the Benin-Lagos Road and Old Benin-Akure Road corridors.”

The Edo Police Command’s image maker added that during interrogation, the suspect confessed to his involvement in the crime and led operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit into a thick forest at Ogwa Community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area, where two decomposing bodies were recovered on 2nd June, 2026.

She stated that one of the bodies was identified as that of Mrs Favour Nosakhare by the family as one of the victims abducted during the invasion by the gunmen.

She disclosed that investigations are ongoing to apprehend other members of the syndicate who are at large, adding that tactical and intelligence-driven operations have escalated.

The spokesperson assured that the Command is confident that the remaining suspects will be brought to justice soon.

Speaking in an interview, the daughter of the deceased, Miss Annabelle Emmanuel, said the family paid N11 million ransom and provided other items demanded by the abductors before her killing.

Speaking on his involvement, Musa Haruna, who identified himself as a cattle herder, confessed that the gang operates along the Benin–Lagos and Benin–Akure expressways.

Haruna alleged that the seven-member syndicate was responsible for a series of kidnapping operations in the area.

He  claimed that he was recruited into the criminal network by a gang member known simply as “Doctor”.

The Bauchi State Police Command has taken an 18-year-old into custody over the alleged drowning of a teenager in Kari Village, located in Darazo Local Government Area of the state.
The incident, which reportedly occurred on May 24, 2026, is being treated as a suspected case of culpable homicide.

In a statement released by the Spokesman of the Command, SP Nafiu Habib on Wednesday, the Command said it received information around 4:15 p.m. that a 17-year-old boy, Abdullahi Muhammad, had drowned in Kari River under circumstances linked to an 18-year-old resident of the same community, Aisanu Nura.

According to preliminary findings, the suspect allegedly persuaded the victim to accompany him to the river, where the teenager was reportedly drowned.

Police operatives from the Darazo Divisional Headquarters were said to have responded immediately, arrested the suspect, and launched an initial investigation.

The Command disclosed that efforts were still ongoing to recover the victim’s body from the river.

It added that the matter had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Bauchi for further investigation.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu, has directed investigators to conduct a thorough and professional probe to establish the full facts surrounding the incident.

He assured residents that justice would take its course and that anyone found responsible would face prosecution in line with the law.

The Command also urged parents and guardians to keep a close watch on their children and report any suspicious activities to the appropriate security agencies.

Yet to be identified gunmen have kidnapped one of the sisters of the immediate past Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu.

Adelabu recently resigned from the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu to contest the governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Oyo State. He reportedly lost the election to Senator Sharafadeen Alli.

DAILY POST gathered that Adelabu’s sister was kidnapped alongside her twin sons in the early hours of Wednesday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The abducted woman was identified as Mrs Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul, while her twin sons were named Peter and Paul.

It was learnt that the incident occurred when the woman was on her way to drop the twins at their school.

As at the time of this report, there whereabouts is unknown.

Efforts to get a reaction from the Public Relations Officer of the State Police command, Olayinka Ayanlade, were not successful at at the time of filing this report on Wednesday.

However, a media aide to the former minister, Femi Awogboro, confirmed the incident.

Awogboro said the incident has been reported to the police.

In a statement released on Wednesday morning, Awogboro said, “The family of Chief Adebayo Adelabu, former Minister of Power and leading gubernatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, wishes to formally confirm the unfortunate kidnapping of his younger sister, Mrs Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul, alongside her twin sons, Peter and Paul, in the early hours of Wednesday, June 3, 2026.

“Mrs John-Paul, aged 43, was reportedly abducted by armed gunmen at about 7:30 a.m. while on her way to drop her children at school in Ibadan. The abductors also forcefully took away her 12-year-old twin sons who were with her at the time of the incident.

“Mrs Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul is the youngest of the five children of Mrs Olufunmilayo Aduke Adegoke Adelabu.

“Until her voluntary retirement last year, she had served meritoriously at both the Central Bank of Nigeria and First Bank Pension Custodian. Following her retirement, she relocated to Ibadan with her children while making preparations to eventually join her husband, Mr. John Paul, who had earlier relocated to the United States of America.”