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Station manager, ticket clerk among abductees
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1 woman, 2 children rescued
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One suspect arrested
By Our Correspondent
The Federal Government said on Sunday that the Nigeria Police and other security agencies are on the trail of the armed gang who attacked a railway station at Igueben, Edo state on Saturday evening, abducting passengers and staff at the station.
The Federal Ministry of Transportation in a statement on Sunday described the act as sad, assuring that all efforts were on top gear to address the ugly development.
In a statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations of the Ministry, Henshaw Agubike, government described the action as despicable and utterly barbaric.
“The Federal government condemns the despicable and utterly barbaric kidnapping of passengers at Tom Ikimi Train Station Igueben Edo State.
“The Public is hereby reassured that the security Agencies are making efforts to rescue the kidnapped Train passengers. The Nigerian Police is on the trail of the criminals and have mobilised with a view to protecting the lives and property of the remaining passengers. The Government is saddened by this unpleasant development and assures on its prompt response to the ugly situation,” the statement said.
Edo state Commission for Comunication and Oriatation, Chris Nehikhare said in a statement that one suspects in connection with the abduction has been arrested.
Although no official statement have confirmed the numbers of persons abducted by the gunmen, reports have suggested that no fewer than 30 passengers and members of staff of the Nigerian Railway Corporation may have taken hostage by the armed gunmen who attacked the Igueben train sub-station in Edo State on Saturday evening at about 5pm.
According to reports, the Local Government Liaison Officer in the area, Mr Best Oseh said on Sunday that over 30 passengers comprising passengers, NRC staff and indigenes of Igueben were taken away by the gunmen.
He said a combined team of security agencies are combing the forest in the bid to rescue those abducted.
“As I speak, people are in the field all over the place, vigilante, security agencies and other people, everybody is concerned but we have to be careful with what we divulge so that we won’t jeopardize the processes we are doing.
“As for the category of people kidnapped, some of them are from Igueben while others are passengers from other places and as for the number, for now we are looking at over 30 but we can only give comprehensive number when preliminary investigations are concluded.” He said
Also, an indigene of the area, Mr. Odia Benson reportedly told newsmen that the gunmen released two children while a woman escaped.
According to him, among those in custody of the kidnappers were personnel of the NRC including the station manager and ticket clerks.
He said that the leaders of the various security outfits such as the the Commissioner of Police the 4 Brigade Nigerian Army Commander, the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) were at Igueben to supervise the search for the abducted passengers.
“The train normally arrives by 5 pm so as at about 20 minutes to 5, bandits just came through the bush part and invaded the place.
“They took away the station manager, took away the booking clerk and about 29 other passengers made up of males and females.
“As I speak with you, the Deputy Governor left the place about an hour ago, the Commissioner of Police and his men are here, the 4 Brigade Nigerian Army Commander is here, the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) is here and many paramilitary representatives: the DPO Igueben and his men, the Esan Akatakpa Security network, the hunters association have been in the forest since last night doing bush combing. We are hoping that by the end of today, they will be rescued.
“The railway station is in the forest, there is no security, no police, no vigilante and they are at the mercy of God. The station is in Igeueben town, just about 1.2 km away from Igueben General Hospital.
“I think about only three of the victims are from Igueben; one of them is from Ward 8,we had another who is married to an Igueben man but based in Warri while others are from Ekpoma, from Uromi, Ubiaja, some are not even from Edo State.
“The kidnappers released two children, it is believed that they felt the children will slow down their movements. They dropped them in an abandoned petrol station, they called the family of the mother of the children that they should go and pick the children from the place they dropped them.
“One woman also escaped with her little baby. The woman escaped and found herself in Opoji which in Esan Central local government area.
The Edo train station attack is coming barely a year after terrorists attacked a Kaduna-bound train from Abuja, at a place called Katari in Kaduna State.
The Edo State Police Command said scores of passengers waiting to board a train from the Igueben station in Igueben Local Government Area of Edo State to Warri in Delta State were kidnapped by armed gunmen on Saturday evening.
Many of the travellers were also reportedly injured.
The Edo Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor, confirmed the incident in a statement.
The statement claimed that the abductors, armed with AK 47, invaded the train station and shot sporadically into the air before abducting scores of intending travellers into the bush.
The Command added that many of the passengers sustained bullet wounds, assuring that operatives were on the trail of the abductors with an aim to rescue those the kidnap victims herded into the bush.
The statement read, “This is to inform the gentlemen of the press that today, 7th of January, 2023 at about 1600hrs, unspecified number of herdsmen armed with AK 47 riffles attacked the train station at Igueben, Edo State and kidnapped unspecified number of passengers who were waiting to board the train to Warri.
“The kidnappers who shot sporadically into the air before kidnapping some passengers left some persons with bullet wounds.
“The Area Commander Irrua, DPO Igueben Division, and men have visited the scene of crime with members of the Edo State Security Network, local vigilantes, and hunters with a view to protecting the lives and property of the remaining passengers.
“Bush combing operations have commenced in order to rescue the victims and arrest the fleeing kidnappers. Further developments will be communicated”, Nwabuzor stated.
