In a distressing incident on the Jesse-Oben-Asaba Road in Delta State, the 24-year-old daughter of a newspaper vendor, Mr. Billy Umoh, was kidnapped along with eight others. The incident occurred when the kidnappers waylaid the bus carrying the passengers from Sapele on their way to Asaba, just before Oben, a town near the Edo border.
According to reports, the driver and conductor of the bus managed to escape while being led away by the kidnappers. The remaining passengers were taken into the forest by the kidnappers, who fired shots into the air to intimidate them.
Mr. Umoh, the father of the kidnapped daughter, has pleaded for help from Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, and security agencies. The kidnappers have contacted him, demanding a ransom of N10 million for her release, a sum he cannot afford.
The Newspapers Vendor Association has strongly condemned the abduction, calling it inhuman and heinous. They urge the governors of Edo and Delta states, along with the security agencies, to take swift action to arrest the culprits responsible for this dreadful act.
