UPDATE: Abducted wife of late Edo ex-speaker regains freedom, driver still held

HASSANA, wife of Zakawanu Garuba, late former Speaker of Edo State and her driver were on Saturday abducted
on Lokoja/Okene road by unknown gunmen on their way to Auchi, Kogi State for the funeral of her husband who died in the early hours of Saturday of suspected COVID-19.

The kidnappers of the former Edo Speaker’s wife, according to reports, spared the aged mother of the late former Edo speaker as well as her three children who were left stranded on the highway. Hours after her abduction, the wife of the deceased politician was released unhurt by the kidnappers.

But the driver of the former Edo speaker’s wife whereabouts was unknown as of the time of filing this report. The Edo State governor, Godwin  Obaseki,  had expressed shock at the news of the kidnap and tasked the Edo police command to “immediately launch a rescue operation.”

In a statement, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, said a rescue operation commenced immediately the incident was brought to the attention of security agencies in the state and the  Police Commissioner, Mr Johnson Kokumo was working with his Kogi State the counterpart to ensure the victims’ rescue.

Osagie said, “Governor Godwin Obaseki is deeply saddened by this incident, which he described as distressing more so,  with the the passing of Right Honourable Zakawanu Garuba, earlier today [Saturday]. “He has ordered the police command to ensure that the kidnap victims are rescued.

The commissioner of police has contacted his Kogi State counterpart and leading the rescue operation.” Garuba, who was the speaker between 2007 and 2009, died in Abuja in the early hours of Saturday during a brief illness, aged 54.

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