The Edo state government said on Wednesday that only 20 people were kidnapped in last Friday’s train station hijacking and not 32 as previously reported.
He said that with the rescue of seven victims from the kidnappers’ hideout, only 13 people remain in the custody of the kidnappers.
State Communication and Guidance Commissioner Chris Nekhihare, who testified on Wednesday, said the latest information was through intelligence.
He said: “According to the intelligence report, the kidnappers only took 20 hostages compared to the 32 initially reported.
“The deputy governor of the state, Philip Shaibu, met with the leaders of the Igueben community and the heads of security agencies to assure residents of measures to control crime in the state.
“The government is reinforcing security to control crime and criminality. The administration led by Governor Godwin Obaseki will make the state unsafe for kidnappers and other criminal elements to thrive.”
He said that the lieutenant governor was accompanied at the meeting by other senior government officials, including the senator representing Edo Central, Clifford Ordia; and Edo State House of Assembly Speaker Marcus Onobun, where he called for calm among residents of the Igueben local government area, urged the public to provide useful information that will help security agencies’ rescue efforts .
He stated that Shaibu informed people of what the government is doing to give morale boost to the troops on the ground and also revise the security strategy, warning people of the consequences of harboring terrorists in its domain.
He said he urged monarchs inside the area to sit down because if the government finds out that they left their facilities for the hijackers to use, those facilities will be confiscated.
