The Edo State Police Command has recovered the decomposing bodies of two kidnapped victims and arrested a suspect in Ovia North-East Local Government Area.
The breakthrough followed weeks of intensive operations after three women were abducted from Iyowa Community on May 9, 2026, and taken into a nearby forest.
According to the command, one of the bodies has been identified as that of 66-year-old Favour Nosakhare, who was abducted alongside 28-year-old Emmanuel Annabel Osasere and 26-year-old Miss Rejoice Otikpere on May 9 during an attack on their residence in the community.
It was learnt that days after the abduction, the kidnappers contacted members of the victims’ families via video call, during which the women were seen being brutally flogged and tortured while their captors demanded ransom for their release.
The remains were recovered by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) and the Drone Unit after engaging the kidnappers in a gun battle along the Ovia forest powerline axis, following a trail to their hideout.
The suspect, 23-year-old Musa Haruna, who was found with a gunshot injury after the operatives combed the forest, confessed to his involvement in the crime.
According to a statement on Wednesday by the command’s spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem, the arrested suspect, after confessing his involvement, later led operatives into a thick forest at Ogwa Community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area, where two decomposing bodies were recovered.
“On 19th May, 2026, operatives busted the kidnapping gang along the powerline axis within the Ovia 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,” Ikodem stated.
He further stated that the investigation is ongoing to apprehend other members of the syndicate at large, adding that tactical and intelligence-driven operations have been escalated.
Commenting on the recovery, Commissioner of Police Monday Agbonika commended the operatives for their professionalism and resilience, assuring residents that the command remains committed to ensuring public safety and will not relent until all members of the criminal syndicate are arrested and brought to justice.