Police in Edo State on Wednesday recovered the decomposing body of a yet-to-be-identified woman which had been burnt at the Uteh forests described as a den of kidnappers.
The body was found as police operatives embarked on a bush combing exercise following the abduction of two persons by suspected Fulani herders who reportedly invaded the National Institute of Construction Technology (NICT) under construction at Uromi New Site, off Ugboha Road, Uromi, Esan North-East Local Government Area of the state.
Sources told Scudnews that the armed men invaded the NICT site at about 4.pm on Wednesday, March 10, and abducted two persons whose names were given as Elizabeth Ayim and Ozoaku Onyemaebi. It could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report if the victims were staff of the institute.
It was further learnt that the incident triggered a massive hunt for the kidnappers by the police in a bid to rescue the victims, resulting in a gun duel between the police and the hoodlum who reportedly disappeared in the bush.
A search by the police for the two abducted persons at the Uteh forest and Ikoken hills, reportedly led to the discovery of the burnt and decomposing body of the of the unidentified woman at about 9.am on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Esan Solidarity Forum (ESF) has called for immediate action by royal fathers and community leaders to stem the heightening insecurity in Esan land.
Reacting on the development, its Director, Emergency Committee, Prince Daniel Ine Okojie, said in a wake-up call on Thursday, it was time for the people to defend themselves.
He said, “My Greetings to our royal fathers and respected leaders. I wish to bring to the notice that I have received report that there was a kidnapping incident of two persons yesterday in Uromi at the Federal Institute axis in Amedokhian, which I presume some of us here may already been aware of and I did made contact with our vigilante brothers on ground and at the moment they are in the bush trying their best to see the two victims released.
“As things stand now, it is evident and clear that it is high time we act as a people to defend our motherland. I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our royal fathers and respected leaders to take this issue/discussion on security of our motherland to the next level and with immediate action, to deliver our motherland from the hands of these evil bandits and kidnappers…”
