Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has expressed disappointment and frustration over the negligence and attitude of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) management, and has called for quick investigation into the incident that occurred last Saturday at the Igueben Train Station.
Obaseki also visited the 12 rescued kidnapped victims, who were abducted from the Igueben Train Station and assured the public that the state government would leave no stone unturned in securing the release of the two remaining hostages.
The governor visited the rescued victims at the Police Cottage Hospital at GRA, Benin City, where they had been taken for tests and rehabilitation after the rescue operation.
The governor thanked the crack team made up of various security agencies in the state including hunters and members of the Edo State Security Network. He noted that their gallantry and tactfulness proved instrumental to the success recorded.
“While 12 of the victims were rescued by the crack team, there are still two hostages being held by the abductors. However, the police arrested some of the abductors during the operation who, are now being questioned and assisting the security team to trail their colleagues,” the governor stated.
Obaseki called on relevant authorities to investigate the negligence of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) which led to the kidnap attack at the Igueben train station in Igueben Local Government Area.
“How will the corporation deploy just one policeman to guard the Igueben train station after recording a kidnap incident in Kaduna?
“I must express our disappointment at the management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation because after the Kaduna incident, you would expect that they would have secured their facilities better. Six men came into their facility to kidnap people. This is something that has to be investigated.
“It doesn’t speak well of their preparedness to run an effective and efficient railway system in Nigeria and doesn’t give confidence to Nigerians that they will be safe using that mode of transportation. You can’t tell me that in a facility like the Igueben Train Station, you have just one policeman with one rifle guarding that facility especially after what happened in Kaduna.
“I believe that the corporation knows what it’s doing and should be investigated and ensure such incidents should not happen to any Nigerian again,” Obaseki stressed.
The governor said available information indicted some traditional rulers in the area who have disobeyed government directives against open grazing as they still harbour herders in their communities.
“We have information that some traditional rulers in that area do not obey and respect government decision to discourage open grazing by herders in their forests.
“I have instructed that those traditional rulers should be investigated and anyone found to be harbouring the herders will have questions to answer because that was what led to this incident. Communities that obeyed don’t have such incidents in their domain,” he said.
Asked if ransom was paid to secure the release of the victims, Obaseki said, “No money was paid for their release as our special forces engaged in the joint operation and overpowered the kidnappers and rescued 12 persons and the kidnappers ran away with two victims”.
He expressed satisfaction that the security strategy adopted in the state is working.
“We are happy as a state and people that we have been able to secure the release of those kidnapped at the Igueben Train Station over a week ago. It has been a very difficult situation as the might, will and security system we put in place in Edo State has been tested. We are glad the system is resilient.
“In the last one week, we were able to track the kidnappers and curtailed them to certain areas ensuring they aren’t able to leave there. With the intelligence system at our disposal and the technological support we have in place, we were able to track these criminals. “With the training of our special forces, we were able to rescue and release 12 out of the 14 hostages, the governor added.
Obaseki commended the security operatives involved in the joint rescue operation. “We thank our security forces for the sleepless night and efforts put in place to rescue persons kidnapped. We appreciate our security forces for this achievement as we have something to rejoice about especially as we celebrate our armed forces.”
On his part, the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Dankwara, said the kidnappers operated at the Ugboha and Udo forests where special security forces laid ambush for them for over a week in the forest. He said 10 victims had earlier been rescued.
He noted that as the kidnappers were trying to move their victims around that location, they were intercepted and were only able to escape with two victims.
He added: “We are working to ensure those two are released. We have arrested some persons who are a syndicate of this kidnapping gang. They are in our custody. Initially we rescued 10, with this 12 rescued we have just two left with the kidnappers.
