By Ozioruva Aliu

OVER 12 people including a nine year-old girl have been reportedly kidnapped along the Auchi-Ihievbe-Afuze Road linking Etsako West and Owan East local government area of Edo state between 6 and 7 pm on Tuesday.

As at when Vanguard contacted the Police Public Relations Officer Chidi Nwabuzor, he said the state command headquarters was waiting for a detailed report from the Divisional Police Officer in the area before he would comment on the issue.

Though an anonymous resident in the area said nine persons were kidnapped while two persons escaped from being kidnapped, a viral video showed three abandoned vehicles on the roadsides. One was a Mercedes ML 320 Jeep with registration number AGD 542 GU with no occupant found and the doors opened, another was a Toyota Sienna van marked Kogi LKJ 464 YE while there was no close-up shot on the third vehicle whose occupants the voice said escaped.

The male voice said members of vigilante group in the locality have combed the forest and bush in the locality, Warrake and other communities to try and rescue the victims

It was gathered that the victims, including a child of about nine years old, were kidnapped in a sienna bus.

The voice could be heard saying “The passengers were ambushed with some of them which include a woman who managed to escape but could not take her daughter who is said to be about 9 years old along.

“The vigilantes from the Ihievbe- Afuze axis are said to be in the bush on the trail of the kidnappers.

“The Auchi Afuze road is known as a notorious route for kidnappers, but the situation was, however curtailed with the presence of soldiers and local vigilantes before the present resurgence”, the voice record said.