EDO Train Attack: Special Forces rescues 12 out of 14 kidnap victims.

The Edo State government reported that 12 victims of the attack on the Igueben Train Station in the State, who had been held captive for a week, were freed on Saturday night by Special Forces, which included members of the Army, Police, DSS, local vigilantes, hunters, and other security organizations.

Speaking to reporters shortly after visiting the freed kidnap victims at the Police Cottage Hospital in Benin City, the state’s capital, Governor Godwin Obaseki criticized the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) for failing to provide adequate security in its facilities following the attack on the Abuja-Kaduna Train on March 28, 2022, even as he threatened to punish the traditional leaders in the Igueben area who were still leasing their lands to herdsmen for grazing.

The governor claimed that no money was paid in exchange for the release of the hostages, but rather that the Special Forces stormed the scene and routed the kidnappers, who fled with the two remaining hostages, who were reportedly NRC employees.

Obaseki words were, “We thank God, we are grateful that we have been able to secure the release of almost all the people who were kidnapped about a week ago from the Igueben Train Station in Edo State.

“It has been a very grueling experience, something we never prayed for and we hope that it would not happen again. 

“They tested the will of our security system that we have put in place and we are so glad that the system has been resilient.

“In the last one week, we have been able to be on the trail of the kidnappers, we contained them to certain areas, they could not leave the area we contained them to and with all intelligence and the aerial support we got from the Airforce, from the Police, the drone support, the technology support, we were able to track them and with the training of the Special Forces we have and all the other members of the team we put together, we were able to release 12 out of the 14 still being held hostage unarmed.

“We think it is something worth celebrating, we think we should thank and appreciate members of our security forces, the sacrifice they put in, the endless nights, the sleepless nights which they put into this must be commended. Today, which is the Armed Forces Remembrance Day, we have something to rejoice about, something to thank our security services for.

“We will continue to invest in the security system of the state, we will continue to encourage the collaboration of our security forces and we will make sure that we continue to invest in the requisite technology and equipment to curb this sort of incidence.”

The governor however added: “I must also express our disappointment at the authorities of the Nigerian Railway Corporation because after the Kaduna incident, you would have expected that they will secure their facilities better, so for six men to have come into their facility to kidnap almost 30 people, I think it is something that has to be investigated.

“It doesn’t speak well of their preparedness to run an efficient rail system in this country, and it doesn’t give confidence to Nigerians that they will be safe using that mode of transport. 

“You cannot tell me in the facility like the Igueben station, you had only one policeman with one rifle guiding that facility particularly after what had happened in Kaduna, I believe if that agency know what they are doing, they must investigate what happened and ensure that this sort of a thing does not happen to any other Nigerian anywhere in this country.”

Muhammed Dankwara, the State’s Commissioner of Police, commented on how the victims were freed and noted that no one was hurt while those thought to be involved in the kidnapping have been detained.

He stated, “They were rescued in Ugboha and Udo forests. The security forces have been there for a week now and it was there they intercepted those people because from the intelligence gathered they were roaming around that area, so yesterday night, the security forces laid an ambush and in trying to move the people from one area to another, they intercepted them.

“For the remaining two captives, we are making progress and we will make sure that they are released too. So far no casualty, they escaped but we have made arrests, we have people that are with us that are part of the syndicate that did this thing.”

He listed Eunice Eseba, Marian Mowoe, Faith Smart, Precious Egwuje, Obehi Omaben, Amm Benson, Favour Akungo, Akhimen Ehiemamen, Emmanuel Esieba, Iyoha Julius, and Aguelle Beatrice as the names of the abduction victims who had been freed.