The Edo State High Court has granted an exparte order to enable the state police command to detain eight suspects for 14 days over the abduction of over 20 passengers and two Nigerian Railway Corporation staff members on January 7, 2023, following an attack by gunmen on the Igueben Train Station in Edo Central, as the investigation continues, The PUNCH reports.
Confirming the development on Sunday in an interview with our correspondent, the Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor, said, “The suspects are yet to be arraigned, however, we went to court to get an exparte order to detain the right arrested suspects for 14 days, as the investigation continues.
“The charge obtained by The PUNCH was the police’s request for an exparte order to detain the suspects for 14 days, and it was granted on January 17. We will inform the general public whenever they’re being charged and arraigned in court.”
The document obtained by The PUNCH revealed that the suspects Ibadin Hamilton, Ighoko Odion, Okojie Ewa, Okie Patrick, Friday Ighedujiemu, Halilu Umaru, Aminu Ibrahim, and Isah Aliyu are being detained and investigated over allegations of criminal conspiracy and kidnapping.
The exparte order dated January 17, 2022, was filed by the Legal Section State Criminal Investigation Department, Police Headquarters, Benin City.
The document revealed that Odion, 62, Ewa, 58, Patrick, 42, Ighedujiemu, 51, Hamilton, 59, Umaru, 28, Ibrahim, 25, and Aliyu, 25, all male, conspired to kidnap the victims with the expectation of getting N20million from their relatives as a ransom for their freedom.
The allegations against the suspects include, “That you Ighoko Odion, Okojie Ewa, Okie Patrick, Friday Ighedujiemu, Ibadin Hamilton, Halilu Umaru, Aminu Ibrahim, Isah Aliyu, and others now at large, on or about the 16th day of January, 2023 at about 12:00 hours at the Nigerian Rail Way Station, Igueben, Edo State, in the Benn Judicial Division, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit: Kidnapping and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 5 and punishable under Section 2 (1) (2) of the Kidnapping Prohibition (Amendment) Law of Edo State, 2013.”
