A woman was reportedly abducted by armed men on Sunday while shopping with her husband and children at the popular Vegetable Market along Airport Road in Benin City, Edo State.
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‎According to eyewitness accounts, the family had gone to the market when gunmen suddenly appeared and forcibly took the woman away, leaving her husband and children behind.
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‎A woman who claimed to have witnessed the incident shared her experience in a video circulating on social media, saying it was the first time she had seen a kidnapping happen before her eyes.
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‎She challenged claims that such crimes do not occur in Benin, stating that the incident happened directly in her presence at the market. She added that she helped rescue the victim’s children during the chaos and sustained bruises in the process.
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‎The Edo State Police Command confirmed the incident. The Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Eno Ikoedem, said officers were already investigating the case.
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‎According to her, the family had gone to the market after attending church when the woman was taken by unidentified persons.
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‎She explained that details surrounding the motive for the incident could not yet be disclosed because investigations were still ongoing, adding that the victim’s husband and other relatives were cooperating with the police.
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‎When asked why the police described the incident as an abduction rather than a kidnapping, Ikoedem said there was no evidence at the moment that the perpetrators had contacted the family or demanded a ransom.
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‎She maintained that until such information becomes available, the case remains an abduction while investigations continue.