By Felix Azamosa
Activities of kidnappers are assuming an alarming dimension in Edo State, as hardly will a day pass without any reported case of kidnapping in the state.
The situation is such that the various security agencies are working assiduously to unravel the motives behind the incessant kidnapping incidents in the state which are majorly kidnapping for money and politically induced kidnapping.
Many innocent men and women have been sent to their early graves as a result of the wanton activities of the dare-devil kidnappers who have appeared to be untouchable and above the law.
Only a few days ago, Mr and Mrs. Osunde Barry, were brazenly kidnapped at their Osdy hotel premises situated along Ugbowo axis in Benin City.
Mr. Osunde Barry is a business mogul and philanthropist based in Benin City. He was kidnapped alongside his wife on February 20, 2025.
The heavily armed hoodlums numbering about six succeeded in their nefarious act after shooting sporadically to scare people and bypassers away.
In the process of heavy shootings, several people were injured while parts of the hotel property were either destroyed or damaged by the armed men.
An eyewitness who simply identified himself as Osas for fear of the unknown, told our Crime Correspondent that the kidnap may have been politically motivated, saying “when the gunmen arrived at the hotel, they wasted no time in getting into action.
“They (gunmen) promptly rounded up the security men at the hotel. Thereafter, they took over total control of the hotel premises, and immediately called out the name of their victim whom they described as a politician going by the name Barry.
“The man (Barry) and his wife made a desperate attempt to escape from the hotel through the back door but they were both easily rounded up by the gunmen who while whisking them away said ‘we will teach you a lesson for being in an opposition political party.'”
Unfortunately, five days after the kidnap, nothing has been heard from either the kidnappers or their victims, a situation that has heightened tension among members of the victms’ family.
“The whereabouts of Mr. Barry Osunde and his wife is still unknown, about five days after they were violently kidnapped in their hotel premises. Members of the family are very worried about their safety.
‘We know that at some points, some political elements in the All Progressives Congress (APC), were not happy that my brother (Barry) left the party to join the Labour Party (LP).
“They (APC members) wanted him in their party at all cost but he refused to stay with them. They had seriously threatened him in the past and now, see what they have done to him,” a family member who will not want his name in print for fear of the deadly gun men, posited.
When contacted, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ugbowo Police Division, SP Johnson Akia, disclosed that the kidnap incident was reported at the station, saying that his men and officers were working round the clock to free the kidnap victims unhurt.
