Edo State Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa, a lawyer, has been kidnapped in Benin, the state capital and his driver killed.
Security sources disclosed that Okungbowa was seized at gunpoint and whisked away to an unknown destination yesterday evening while returning from a social event at Oza Road in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State. He was hurriedly moved into the forest.
The hoodlums had not contacted members of the family of the head of Service or Governor Godwin Obaseki, on possible payment of ransom.
Edo State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Chidi Nwabuzor, a Superintendent of Police (SP), who has been in Enugu since Monday for nationwide PPROs’ conference, was contacted at 8:55 p.m. for his reaction, but he did not take the calls and had not returned the call, as at press time.
Edo Commissioner of Police, Babatunde Kokumo, who has just been promoted as an Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), was then contacted by our reporter at 9:07 p.m., but the line rang out twice, while the text and WhatsApp messages immediately sent to him (CP) had not been replied.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), in charge of Operations in Edo State, Ayoola Ajala, was also contacted at 9:29 p.m., but he declined to comment, but asked our reporter to get reactions from Kokumo and Nwabuzor.