One Gilbert Akioyamen, a pastor of a Pentecostal church in Edo state, has ‘miraculously’ escaped from the den of his abductors.
The victim was reportedly abducted at about 6:00 pm on March 24, along Ukhun road, Ekpoma, Esan West local government area of Edo State, while on his way to the Deeper Life camp ground. He, however, escaped after the kidnappers on guard dozed off.
The state Commissioner of Police, CP, Mr. Chris Ezike, confirmed the development on Thursday while parading three of the suspects: Mbindi Nneka, 26, Charles Arasomwan, 22 and Jezreel Ekanem, 21, alongside 72 other suspects arrested for various crimes.
Ezike told newsmen at the state police command headquarters in Benin that the division received a distress call and combed several buildings in the areas.
“While Arasomwan and Ekanem were nabbed in the building where the victim was kept, Nneka was arrested in the apartment of one of the suspects, said to be her relative.
“Two locally made cut-to-size single barrel guns, mask, ATM cards, one long rope and one mat were recovered from the suspects,” the CP added.
One of the suspects, Ekanem, narrating their level of involvement and how their victim escaped from their grip, told journalists’ “The Pastor had been kept in our custody by some other fleeing members of the gang who promised to reward us.
“They said that they were going to a bank and told us to keep an eye on the man. They said that they would give us something to buy some beer.
“The man did not talk to us, so we slept off. When we woke up, we realized that he had escaped,” Ekanem stated.
On her part, his female colleague, Nneka, denied any knowledge of the abduction, saying that she was only in the apartment to remove her property.
According to her, “I don’t know how the matter started.
“I used to reside at the apartment before I got married; I gave my brothers the key to the house.
“It was the landlord that instructed me to remove the property there and I was only acting on his instructions.
“I wish I knew it would have resulted into this; the landlord put me in this problem. I only went there to move my property from the house,” she sobbed.
The police boss further stated that investigations were still ongoing.
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