Three Women Abducted in Edo State as South-South Kidnapping Rises

BENIN CITY — Three women have been abducted by armed men in Edo State, raising fresh alarm about the spread of kidnapping beyond the traditionally affected northwest and northeast regions. PM News confirmed the abductions on Thursday. The victims are Mrs. Favour Nosakhare, aged 66, Mrs. Emmanuel Annabel Osasere, aged 28, and Miss Rejoice Otikpere, aged 26.

The abduction occurred in a rural part of Edo State. Security agencies have been notified and officers deployed to track the kidnappers. The Edo State Police Command said it is treating the case as a priority and has activated its rapid response protocol for kidnapping incidents.

The range of ages and identities of the three victims, from a 66-year-old woman to a 26-year-old, suggests the abduction was opportunistic rather than targeted at specific individuals. This pattern of opportunistic kidnapping targeting ordinary citizens is characteristic of criminal networks that have spread their operations from northwestern states.

The South-South Threat

The Edo kidnapping is part of a broader pattern of insecurity expanding across previously relatively stable regions. The southwest has experienced JAS terrorist attacks. The south-south is seeing increased kidnapping incidents. The pattern suggests that armed criminal networks are deliberately moving into areas where security presence is less intense than in the established conflict zones.

The families of the three abducted women are in extreme distress. They have appealed to the government and security agencies to prioritise the safe return of their loved ones. They said the three women were simply going about their normal lives when they were seized.

Human rights groups said the Edo abduction must prompt a serious reassessment of security deployment across the south-south. They said the region cannot be an afterthought in national security planning simply because it has historically been calmer than other parts of the country.