The police in Benin and men of the Igarra vigilante group on Tuesday night stormed Ihievbe – Ago mountainous forest of Akoko Edo and rescued four lecturers and eleven students of Geology Department of the University of Benin kidnapped by armed gunmen earlier in the day.

Eyewitness account said the kidnappers rounded up both students and lecturers who were on fieldwork at Ihievbe in their 18 seater bus at Owan East local government area.

“The kidnappers swooped on them and marched them into the forest but the driver and two students escaped and ran to alert the vigilante group who were on patrol along the Igarra – Auchi Road,” he said.

The vigilante were said to have mobilized immediately and gave the kidnappers a hot chase exchanging gun fires and in the process arrested two of the suspected kidnappers.

Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor said a combined team of the police tactical squad men from the Divisional Police Station in Igarra and Area Command were deployed by the Commissioner of Police, Lawal Jimeta and the lecturers and students were rescued.

The Chairman of Opoze Age Group in Igarra who also doubles as the head of the vigilante group, Ibukun Dogo said:

“The driver of the 18 seater bus and two of the students escaped when the kidnappers rounded them up at gun point. They ran back to the highway where our vigilante group men were on patrol and broke the news to them. The vigilante contacted me and briefed me on phone and I ordered that they should go after them while I quickly informed the police for back up.

“While my men were pursuing the kidnappers, they were shooting and so my men were retuning fire but we ran out of ammunition but we were able to apprehend two of the kidnappers and they were taken to the police station. The students who escaped were called to come and identify them and they were able to identify one of them as the people that kidnapped their colleagues, I also called our hunters because two weeks ago, they reported that they sighted about eight boys in the forest who shot at them and ran away and the hunters were also able to identify one of the kidnappers. We have handed them over to the police. Apparently, with response from us and the back-up from the police, they abandoned their victims and ran away.”

He appealed for support for proper kitting for the vigilante men to encourage them since they were doing the work on a voluntary basis.

Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the University, Dr (Mrs) Benedita Ehanire said the school is expecting the team back after the rescue.

“The four lecturers and 11 students would have been back but the management insisted that there must be a police back-up for them before they travel back to school. They are all safe and are on their way,” she said.