…Says 13 Still In Captivity
…We’re leveraging information sharing channels to track activities of abductors
BY MIKE OSAROGIAGBON
Edo State Government has corrected the number of Igueben Train Station kidnap victims, saying that intelligence on last Saturday’s incident has indicated that 20 people were kidnapped by the suspected herdsmen and not 32, as earlier confirmed by the government.
This was just as the state government announced that 13 people remained in captivity as seven others had earlier been rescued by the joint operations of the military, Police, vigilantes and local hunters.
Mr Chris Osa Nehikhare, Commissioner for communication and Orientation, who made the clarifications at a press conference in Benin on Wednesday, assured that efforts had been doubled to see to the rescue of the remaining victims, just as he sued that in reporting the incidents, the media should pay attention to the safety and wellbeing of those still in captivity by taking sensationalism out of their reportage.
Nehikhare said the government was leveraging its community information-sharing channels to track the activities of the abductors.
He added that security agencies are intensifying efforts to rescue the remaining victims of the train station attack.
He said at the meeting held by the Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu with heads of security agencies and traditional rulers on Tuesday, the deputy governor tasked them to secure their communities against criminal activities.
“Before now, we had established protocols with village heads, delineating their roles in our rural areas especially in the communities. We have reminded them of their responsibilities which include the identification of strangers within their communities which also means that they are supposed to have a surveillance team,” he noted.
According to him, “At the meeting, the deputy governor also told them the consequences of harbouring kidnappers and terrorists. The consequences include the property used in harbouring criminals will be forfeited to the state government and destroyed.
“If at any point those that are found using these facilities are found to have murdered any of their captive, the owners of that property will be charged and prosecuted along with the perpetrators of the crime.”
The commissioner also disclosed that apart from reminding the traditional rulers of their roles, the Deputy Governor also tasked them to increase surveillance and also report to government when they observe anything untoward in their communities.
