MICHAEL AKINOLA
This is not the best of times for the residents of Uromi town, Esan land in Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State, as kidnappers have virtually taken over, destroyed business activities and rendered security agents helpless in the area.
P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the once peaceful town has been thrown into state of agony, sorrows and mourning. Some of the residents lamented that hardly a day passes without the incidences of abduction and kidnapping in Uromi town, which has left many families in pains.
Lucky victims are released after payment of huge sums of money as ransom while the unlucky victims are murdered inside the bushes, where the kidnappers usually take their victims for ransom negotiations. Yet there is presence of security agencies including the local vigilante groups in the area.
There is also hunger and starvation in the community because the kidnappers were said to have taken over the farmlands and residents no longer go to their farms for fear of kidnappers.
Most of the Indigenes in diaspora no longer come back home over fear of being kidnapped and their relatives equally encouraged them not to visit home as some who visited recently had nasty experiences in the hands of kidnappers.
One of the victims, Lucky Adodo, was shot and killed while attempting to escape from the Kidnappers den on Ohen Road in Uromi town as confirmed by a witness identified as Owean Ehi.
According to the residents, some of notable black spots in Uromi town included Ezea, Ilushi Road, Ebhoyi Ugbegun axis, Amhedoshan Ugboha road close to Uromi University and other areas including the farmlands.
The community leaders have been practically intimidated and have gone into hiding, while members of the local vigilante group set up were said not to be helping the situation as some residents are suspecting that the kidnappers have insiders, who provide information for them to strike.
A top security expert noted:
“It has become a norm now that every week a kidnapping case must be recorded in Uromi and none of the culprits will ever be caught! It is always successful operation even with the total number of vigilante members in Uromi”.
Some of the residents, who did not want their names to be mentioned, hinted that the kidnappers live in the forest and they usually come out at any time of the day to abduct victims and some of the victims will come back alive if their relations paid ransom while other victims whose relatives have no money for ransom will be killed and buried inside the bush.
“There is total breakdown of insecurity and nobody is safe in Uromi town as these kidnappers come at any time from the bush to the town with arms to pick their victims- business people, students, lecturers, artisans, farmers etc.”