The Edo State Police Command has recovered the bodies of two kidnap victims in a forest in Ovia North-East Local Government Area and arrested a suspected member of the kidnapping gang responsible for the crime.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the command’s spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem, one of the recovered bodies has been identified as 66-year-old Favour Nosakhare, who was seen in a video call during a negotiation for her ransom.
The bandits had initiated the video call with her phone to assure the victim’s family members that she was alive so as to facilitate payment of her ransom.
It is not clear if the ransom was eventually paid before she was killed and her body dumped in the forest.
The hapless woman had been abducted alongside two other victims, Emmanuel Annabel Osasere, 28, and Rejoice Otikpere, 26, during a raid on their residence in Iyowa Community on May 9, 2026.
Police said the victims were taken into a nearby forest by armed kidnappers.
Days after the abduction, the criminals contacted family members through a video call, during which the women were allegedly subjected to physical abuse while ransom demands were made.
The disturbing footage triggered widespread concern and intensified efforts by security agencies to locate the victims and apprehend those responsible.
The command disclosed that operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit, working with the Police Drone Unit, launched intelligence-driven rescue operations and aerial surveillance across forests and suspected criminal hideouts in Ovia North-East and surrounding areas.
On May 19, operatives reportedly traced the gang to the powerline axis of the Ovia forest, where a gun battle ensued.
The suspects fled into the bush after being overwhelmed by security operatives. A blood-stained jacket and spent AK-47 ammunition were recovered from the scene.
Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of 23-year-old Musa Haruna, who was found with a gunshot wound.
Police identified him as a member of a kidnapping syndicate allegedly linked to attacks and abductions along the Benin-Lagos and Old Benin-Akure road corridors.
According to the police, the suspect confessed during interrogation and later guided investigators to a dense forest in Ogwa Community, where two decomposing bodies were discovered on June 2.
Authorities confirmed that one of the bodies was positively identified by relatives as that of Favour Nosakhare.
Efforts are ongoing to establish the identity of the second victim and determine the whereabouts of the remaining abducted woman.
The Commissioner of Police in Edo State, Monday Agbonika, praised the efforts of the VCRU and Drone Unit for their professionalism and persistence, describing the development as a significant breakthrough in the fight against kidnapping.
He assured residents that security operations have been intensified to track down other members of the syndicate still at large and urged the public to continue providing credible information to assist law enforcement agencies.
The police maintained that investigations remain ongoing and pledged to ensure that all those connected to the crime are arrested and prosecuted.
It would be recalled that Microsecondnews on May 19 posted a video of bandits torturing three women during a negotiation for ransom via a video call. That same day, security operatives stormed the forest where the bandits were holding their hostages.
It is not clear if the woman whose body has just been recovered now was one of the women shown in that video call. See the video on our Telegram Channel here.
Read Also: Bandits kidnap 2 palm wine tappers, kill one after family offered only N10k ransom
