THE newly called-to-the-bar lawyer, Peace Onyesom, and her sister, Gift Onyesom, who were kidnapped along the Okene-Auchi road on Friday, have regained their freedom.
News Point Nigeria reports that the victims’ brother, Godspower Onyesom, confirmed their release to PUNCH Metro correspondent in a telephone conversation on Tuesday.
Recall that Peace had participated in the Nigerian Law School call-to-the-bar ceremony on September 23.
She was returning to Benin, Edo State, alongside her sister when they were kidnapped.
Confirming her release, Godspower said, “She has been released. She is back home.”
In an accompanying video sent to our correspondent, Peace thanked everyone who had come to her rescue while saying that the military rescued them.
She said, “Thank you, everyone. My sister and I have been rescued. The military in Okpella has rescued us.”
Similarly, an ex-aide to the Delta State Governor, Harrisson Gwanishu, confirmed that Peace and her Sister have been released.
Gwamnishu wrote, “Peace Onyesom and Gift Onyesom, kidnapped while returning from the call to ceremony in Abuja, have just been released to us near a village in Okpella. It is a tough journey.”
Efforts to get the reaction of the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, Williams Aya, proved abortive as he did not respond to calls made to his line as of the time of filing this report.
This newspaper had reported that the Nigerian Police Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a post on his X page on Sunday, disclosed that eight of the abducted persons were rescued.
This incident is not the first instance of kidnapping along the Abuja, Kogi, and Benin expressways.
In February, a member of the National Youth Service Corps serving in Ibadan, Oyo State, Rofiat Lawal, was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen along the Benin-Ore Expressway.
Her friend, who identified as Agbakwara, had raised the alarm about Lawal’s abduction, stressing that she was returning from Benin, Edo State, to report to her place of primary assignment in Oyo when she was abducted.
She was, however, released after her family paid a ransom of N1 million.
Similarly, on September 9, the Kogi State Vigilante Services confirmed the abduction of three passengers of an 18-seater Toyota bus at Aku village along the Okene-Lokoja Expressway.