Kidnappers Chasing Escaped Captive Arrested In Benue

Security operatives in Benue State have arrested two suspected kidnappers who allegedly pursued a female victim after she escaped from their hideout in Ado Local Government Area.

The woman, identified simply as Mrs Ekuma, was among five people reportedly abducted on Friday while returning from Idelle Market in neighbouring Oju LGA.

The Special Adviser to the Benue State Government on Security and Internal Affairs, Chief Joseph Har, disclosed this to journalists in Makurdi on Monday.

Har said Ekuma escaped from the kidnappers’ hideout in a forest around the Utonkon district of Ado LGA and raised the alarm.

According to him, personnel of the Benue State Civil Protection Guard (CPG), Ado Command, responded to the distress call and launched an operation to locate the victim and track down her abductors.

He said the kidnappers pursued Ekuma after discovering that she had escaped, but two members of the gang were eventually arrested.

The suspects, identified as Usman Shuaibu and Aliyu Drahu, were initially taken to the CPG zonal headquarters in Otukpo before being handed over to the Otukpo Police Division for further investigation and possible prosecution.

The special adviser said the arrests were part of ongoing efforts by security agencies to dismantle kidnapping networks and protect residents in communities affected by insecurity across the state.