We Rescued Cbn Governor’s Wife; Policemen, Soldiers Didn’t Enter Forest – Vigilante Group
SAN FRANCISCO, October 26, (THEWILL) – The last is yet to be heard about the release of the wife of the Central Bank governor, Margaret Emefiele , as members of the Vigilante group in Emuhun Community in Uhunmwode local government have claimed responsibility for her rescue from abductors, stressing that policemen and soldiers did not enter the forest during the encounter with the kidnappers.
Maintaining that they, and not the Police or the Nigerian Army, were responsible for the rescue of Margaret, the Vigilante group accused the Nigeria Police and the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele of abandoning one of their colleagues who was killed during the rescue of Margaret from kidnappers den.
Disclosing this at a press conference in Benin, the Edo state capital, the Secretary of Emuhun Community vigilante group, Deacon Samson Osagie, stated that they shot and held two of the suspected kidnappers whose confessions led to the arrest of five others.
Osagie stated that one of their members, Gabriel Okorare aged 64, was shot dead in the rescue attempt and that his corpse was recovered by the police who deposited it at the Abudu Hospital Mortuary.
He narrated that the late Gabriel joined other Vigilante members to mobilise into the bush to apprehend the kidnappers after the police from Okhuaihe Police Division called on them for emergency help.
According to him, “Gabriel died instantly and the kidnappers took away his gun while I lay down flat without making a noise. They shot more than 180 times.
“We were surprised that the police did not give us credit. If the police were in the bush, they would have killed all of them but we shot two who were later handed over to the police.
“We saw two bags of money which the police took away. The police and Emefiele should visit the family because his wife was rescued alive. Three other women and one man were also rescued.”
Osagie continued that, “It may interest Nigerians to know that late Gabriel was the bread winner of his family and left behind two wives and 11 children.
“Since Gabriel's death, feeding of the family has been a major challenge particularly at this harsh economic recession in the country. A situation that has forced his children out of school.”
Osagie further said the state Commissioner of Police, Haliru Gwand, promised to convey the matter to appropriate authorities but failed to pay a condolence visit to the late Vigilante family.
One of the Vigilante members, Wilson Igbinosun, who said he was in the forest with late Gabriel when he was killed, disclosed they knew the kidnappers were in the area because women returning from the farm claimed they were harassed.
Igbinosun narrated that when they fired the first shot, the kidnappers responded with torrents of gunshots during which Gabriel was hit.