Victims of multiple kidnapping incidents in Edo State have narrated before the Edo State Special Court for Cultism and Kidnapping how they paid more than ₦63 million in ransom to secure their release from captivity.

The victims testified as prosecution witnesses in the ongoing trial of an alleged kidnapping syndicate, with the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Edo State Ministry of Justice, Stephen Okoror, leading the prosecution.

Mrs. Precious Oseghale told the court that she was abducted at the Vegetable Market after attending a church service with her family. She said four armed men attacked them, but while her husband escaped, she was forced into the kidnappers’ vehicle and taken into a forest.

She said she regained her freedom only after a ransom was paid, adding that the kidnappers also made away with her jewellery, including a wristwatch, earrings and hand chains worth over ₦15 million.

Another witness, identified as Paul, said he was kidnapped on April 23, 2026, from his wife’s pharmacy opposite Ekehuan Army Barracks in Benin City. He told the court that he paid ₦5.5 million in ransom and surrendered his Lexus RX 350 SUV and wedding ring to the abductors.

According to him, the kidnappers repainted the vehicle from grey to red and changed its registration number before it was eventually recovered by security agencies after the suspects were arrested.

A third victim testified that his family paid ₦12.47 million to secure his release, while the abductors also collected ₦35,000 from him during the incident.

An elderly woman also recounted that she was kidnapped from her residence on Siluko Road in Benin City on March 8, 2025. She told the court that she paid ₦25 million to her captors and another ₦5 million to a second gang after she was allegedly handed over before she was eventually released.

The prosecution is expected to call more witnesses as the trial of the suspected kidnappers continues. Visit www.jocomms.com for more news.