A young girl identified as Wahab Aisha has been kidnapped by gunmen at Igbira Camp in Auchi, Edo State, plunging her family and community into distress.
The media learnt that the abduction occurred last Saturday, and the kidnappers are demanding a ₦20million ransom for her release.
In a video circulating on social media, the visibly traumatised girl was seen pleading for financial assistance from the public to secure her freedom.
Residents of the area have decried the rising wave of kidnappings across Edo State, describing it as a “lucrative business” thriving under the grave silence and inaction of the government.
They accused the state government of failing to provide adequate security despite their constitutional obligation to protect citizens.
A resident said Edo State is fast becoming the heartbeat of kidnapping under the watch of Senator Monday Okpebholo, recalling previous abductions that remain unresolved.
In July 2025, two young seminarians were kidnapped at the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary, Ivhianakpodi in Auchi, where an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) was killed.
However, despite the ransom reportedly paid by the Catholic Church, the victims have yet to be released.
Meanwhile, residents of Edo State have also faulted the performance of security agencies in the state, accusing them of prioritising the arrest of human rights activists over tackling violent crime.
Another resident explained that the security agencies are very effective in tracking down activists who speak truth to power, but they fail to trace kidnappers and their informants.
They are now calling on Senator Monday Okpebholo, the state’s Chief Security Officer, to “wake up to his responsibility” by taking decisive action to curb the growing insecurity that has turned Edo into one of the most dangerous states for residents and travellers alike.
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