Mother and Children Rescued from Kidnappers in Edo

On September 3, 2026, Patience Omonete, 40, and her three children, aged 14, 12, and 10, were kidnapped from their farm in the Okpella community, located in the Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State. The Edo State Police Command's spokesperson, ASP Eno Ikoedem, reported that the victims were rescued through a coordinated operation involving police operatives, the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC), and local hunters.

Following an alert about the kidnapping, a security team was mobilized to search the forest around the Onomi-Iddo axis of Okpella. The intense manhunt forced the kidnappers to abandon the victims, who were subsequently rescued unharmed and reunited with their family.

Ongoing efforts are being made to identify and apprehend the kidnappers. Additionally, during a separate operation, the Commissioner of Police, Patrick Daaor, announced the arrest of 22 suspects involved in various crimes across the state, including kidnapping and armed robbery.