The three lawyers belonging to the Warri Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association and their driver, who were kidnapped on Wednesday along the Benin-Auchi road, have regained their freedom from their abductors.
PUNCH Metro gathered that they were released by the kidnappers at about 1:05am on Saturday, at a forest location near Ogbemudia farm along the same route where they were abducted by the unidentified gunmen.
The three lawyers, Fred Aburu, Isreal Unurierume, Eda Gbejule, and the driver of the vehicle they were travelling in, Kome Esike, were on their way to a high court in Edo State on Wednesday when the kidnappers suddenly struck and ambushed them.
It was unclear whether any ransom was paid before they were let off the hook by their captors but sources said that the victims were abandoned on the Benin-Auchi road in the night by the gunmen who hurriedly disappeared from the scene.
Confirming their release in a terse message made available to The PUNCH, the Chairman, NBA Warri Branch, Emmanuel Uti, said he would formally issue a press statement on the incident later.
The NBA Chairman expressed thanks to God and everyone who made efforts toward the release of the kidnapped lawyers and their driver.
Uti had earlier, in a statement on Friday, described the kidnap incident as ‘disturbing’, saying, “The incident awakens the sad reality of what has bedeviled our society, which the Government has found difficult to contain, in order to reassure its citizens of their safety”.
He expressed concern that the security architecture in the country seems overwhelmed by the dastardly acts of kidnappers, urging security agencies to collaborate with Edo State Police Command to ensure release of the lawyers.
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