For the first time in many years, Edo state witnessed a crime-free yuletide celebration in 2022 as all the dreaded areas like Benin – Auchi-Okene Road, Benin – Abraka Road, the Benin – Sobe – Akure road and others were devoid of kidnapping and other criminal activities.
The deployment of local vigilante groups to various parts of the state had hugely helped in reducing incidents of violent crimes in the state.
For almost three months, there were no reports of kidnapping and killings in the state capital and other parts of the state, unlike before, until last Saturday when kidnappers stormed the train station in Igueben and went away with about 20 people.
Igueben Local Government Area, which is one of the smallest local government areas in Edo State, was created in 1996 by the late head of state, General Sani Abacha when he split Nigeria into a 36 state federation. The creation of Igueben local government area was influenced by his then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Tom Ikimi who is from the place.
The local government area which also has its headquarters in Igueben is made up of several towns and villages such as Idumogbo, Idumotutu, Eguare, Oyomo, Afuda, Uhe, and Ekekhen where the Tom Ikimi Train Station is situated
The peace in the community which led to increased economic activities in the past two years since the Warri – Itakpe railway began was truncated last Saturday when gunmen stormed the area and attacked the passengers who were waiting for the train in the evening which was the last for the day.
Since then, there have been various reports of how the incident happened, the number of people kidnapped, how those who were rescued got their freedom, what efforts are being made to pay the ransom allegedly being demanded by the kidnappers and what the state government is doing to free the remaining captives.
Social life affected
After the attack, however, the economic activities and nightlife in the area have been adversely affected by the incident. An investigation by Saturday Vanguard showed that before the incident, the people used to move about as late as 1 am in the area since the train transportation started about two years ago. Besides, small businesses sprang up near the train station and transportation businesses like cab driving and commercial motor cycle operations have thrived daily, dropping and taking passengers to various areas within and outside the area.
A resident in the area summed up the situation on Thursday saying “because of this incident, night life has collapsed in the area, no night life anymore. Once it is eight o’clock in the evening you will not see anybody outside again and it has also hampered socio-economic activities. Some commercial motorcyclists who used to convey passengers to the train station can no longer make their money, likewise the traders who used to make their livelihood there. Similarly, very important personalities who used the trains and then hired cabs to take them to their destinations like Uromi, Ekpoma and other places, are no more coming.
“People also fear that the security operatives can decide to arrest anybody they see even if they are innocent persons. Before now, between 11 pm to 12 midnight people were still outside depending on the area. At Hausa quarters, it used to be 24 hours, if you went there even by 1 am, you could still buy noodles and eggs but for now it is no longer so.”
Worries over whereabouts of victims
Although security agencies and the state government claimed that seven of the victims have been rescued, the investigation showed that some of them may have been released by the captors for various reasons. For instance, out of the seven abductees who were said to have been rescued, two of them were toddlers who were abandoned in a nonfunctional petrol station as the kidnappers were said to have alerted their mother to go and pick the children from where they were abandoned.
The nursing mother who was also claimed to have been rescued was believed to have been released by the kidnappers because of her baby and she wandered into the Opoji area in the neighbouring Esan West local government area where she was picked up. Also, the 65 year-old old victims was believed to have been let go because of his age.
A woman who traded in the area and witnessed the incident on Saturday but did not want her name mentioned told Vanguard earlier in the week that the elderly victim narrated how the kidnappers told him where to lie down and go back home as they have gone with the rest of the victims.
The Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare during his daily updates on the incident on Thursday told journalists that intelligence reports indicated that 20 people and not the initial 31 reported may have been kidnapped and that with the rescue of the seven, only 13 instead 27 were still with the kidnappers.
A resident of Igueben expressed worries that with the vast forest in the area that connects three other local government areas in the state and also borders River Benue, the kidnappers could also escape through the waters with their victims. He said “we have a very big forest that transverses three local government areas, the forest links Udo, Uromi, Ubiaja, Ewato, Okhuesan, Ohodwa and Ewohinmi. The security agencies are combing all these areas but our fear is that these forests also connect River Benue which can link you to Kogi and Niger states.
These criminals are professionals and we fear they could lead the victims to that river and escape from it. But we hope that as long as they are making contacts, the numbers could be traced by security agents. That is our hope.”
Monarch reacts
In an interview with Saturday Vanguard on the incident, the Onojie of Igueben and Okaigun of Esanland, His Majesty, Ehizogie Eluojierior blamed the incident on the poor security arrangement in the area.
He said “The attack came to us as a shock because such a thing has never happened before since the railway station was established in Igueben. We heard of the Kaduna train attack and other places. Since the trains became functional and prior to this incident, our vigilantes used to go round the bushes combing everywhere and always removing every illegal structure they found around, so nobody expected this incident. We are in shock as to what happened. But meanwhile, the search is continuing with the vigilante and the regular security operatives.
So far, they have got some suspects that they are questioning, and we have some victims who were abandoned or so on their way who have been recovered. We are all working to recover the others, and all of us are sad about what happened.
“Usually the station is for all the neighbouring towns and not just Igueben town. I was told that two people are from Igueben but I have not seen the relatives complaining.
“In this 21st Century, there should be surveillance cameras mounted along the rail lines and everywhere around the station, at least if people are not there, the cameras will capture what is happening. If they had sought our opinion, that is what I would have advised them to do when they were constructing the station and the railway lines. They should have put good surveillance cameras that are in good condition, not the ones that will go off. This would have complemented the physical presence of security personnel.
”You know in Nigeria they will always take a fire brigade approach to issues. The government ought to make sure this does not happen. We were thinking it was a Kaduna affair when the terrorists carried out a similar attack on the Abuja/Kaduna train. So, we recommend that government should look for a lasting solution to this because there are bushes around the station, we need to clear those bushes regularly because the place is not close enough to where human beings are living. Before security personnel could mobilise to go after those people that day, it took some time, I think that was why they were able to get away with it.
“The railway station was built about 20 years ago but it was not operational until recently. I have been on the throne since 1985 and we have never experienced anything like this, that is why it is shocking to us”.
VANGUARD
