Gunmen kill man, abduct pregnant wife, sister-in-law

Gunmen have killed a man identified as Friday Pius and abducted his pregnant wife and her sister in Edo State.

The incident occurred in Uluoke community, Uzairue, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.

The Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Moses Yamu, who confirmed the incident on Thursday, April 17, 2025, said police operatives have been deployed to the area.

Yamu said the police operatives are working with local vigilantes and hunters to rescue the kidnapped victims and apprehend the gunmen.

He stated: “The command is aware. Necessary deployments have been made in that regard.

“Our men have sustained bush combing and rescue operations with a view to rescuing the victims.”

It was further gathered that the incident occurred in the early hours of Monday, April 14, when gunmen stormed the residence of the deceased between at about 1 a.m.

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Some residents of the area disclosed that the assailants shot Pius dead and kidnapped his pregnant wife and her sister, leaving behind his three children crying beside their father’s corpse.

“When people finally came out after the gunfire stopped, the man was found in a pool of his own blood, and his wife and her sister had been taken away,” a community source said.

In response to the incident, the source said women from the community took to the streets in protest, demanding improved security and government’s intervention.

One of the protesting women, who identified herself as Rashidatu, said the protest was not just about the killing and kidnapping, but the general insecurity in the area.

“We can’t go to our farms anymore. Herdsmen have taken over, uprooting cassava to feed their cows and kidnapping or killing anyone who tries to stop them,” she said.

She called on the security agencies to urgently address the growing insecurity in the area, noting that residents now live in fear and have lost access to their livelihoods.

The Star