Kidnapped AAU Lecturer Petitions Okpebholo Over Shoddy Investigations, Accuses Police of Complicity With Abductors

Okpebholo, Igbafen 

Hendrix Oliomogbe

Over one year after some guntotting kidnappers whisked him away in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State, a university don, Prof. Monday Igbafen has appealed to Governor Monday Okpebholo to intervene and order the police to reopen the case for further investigations.

Prof. Igbafen of the Department of Philosophy, Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma and the Benin Zonal Coordinator of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was abducted on September 28, 2024, dispossessed of his car and other valuable items by unknown gunmen.

In what seemed like a scene from a melodramatic Nollywood movie, the lecturer, who was kidnapped while driving into his home at Ekpoma in the night and taken to an unknown destination inside his ash colour Toyota Highlander Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) marked ABJ 180 JQ, however escaped from the den of his captors two days later.

The university town has lately been in the news, following an upsurge of the notorious activities of daredevil kidnappers, who have been terrorizing the community, shooting and abducting the inhabitants at will for a hefty ransom before letting go of their helpless victims.

In a petition signed by his lawyer, Mr. Bola Adekanle, he wrote that the kidnap suspects were however arrested by the police alongside the man who allegedly bought some stolen vehicles.

Titled "An Appeal to Reinvestigate the Kidnap of Prof. Monday Igbafen to Recover of His Car and Other Personal Effects", he petitioner remarked that the recovered mobile phone was given to him on bond; while his vehicle which was taken during the unfortunate incident has not been recovered in spite of the fact that the man allegedly bought the stolen vehicles has been arrested and the suspects are not having their day in court.

While pointing out that he’s disturbed by the haphazard and incomplete investigation of the case by the police, the unionist prayed the governor to direct that the case be re-opened for further investigation with a view to intensifying efforts to recover the car and other personal effects belonging to his client and also bring the suspects to book.

Mr. Adekanle penned: “The questions begging for answers include: How come that the car and other personal effects of our client have not been recovered and what happened to the arrested suspected buyer?;

“That sadly enough, nothing has been held about the trial of the five the arrested principal suspects whom the police officers of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit claimed had been reminded in Ubiaja Prisons; and

“That we are extremely disturbed by this development and appeal to his Excellency to direct that the case be re-opened for further investigations with the view to intensifying efforts to recover the car and other personal effects of our client and also bring the suspects to justice.”

Prof. Igbafen added that he strongly suspected some complicity between the police and these kidnappers, dolefully predicting that not until this seeming complicity is checked, the incident of kidnapping will not abate, especially in Ekpoma.