Confusion has trailed the case of some passengers after the police declared them wanted, despite reports indicating they were victims of a Biafra Liberation Army (BLA) attack.
According to sources at the motor park in Benin City, and from the travellers’ register obtained by our correspondent, Ojiebun Edith Aderemi was among those travelling to Abia State when their vehicle was ambushed by armed members of the BLA.
The victims were reportedly taken into a bush camp, where they were subjected to intimidation and attempts at forced recruitment.
One of the victims, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that the attackers separated some passengers and subjected others to severe beatings.
“We were forced into the bush and threatened to either join them or face death. Along the line, some people went missing, including that young lady. We later heard she managed to escape,” the victim recounted.
During a subsequent police raid on the militia hideout, security operatives arrested one of the militants who was allegedly found in possession of a phone belonging to Aderemi.
Investigators reportedly extracted photographs and personal details from the seized device, which led to her name being listed among wanted suspects.
A security source, who asked not to be named as he was not authorised to speak officially, confirmed that the recovered phone contained pictures of Aderemi alongside weapons. He added that the suspect would soon be paraded while efforts were being intensified to capture others still at large.
Analysts, however, have raised concerns that kidnap victims may be wrongly profiled as collaborators of armed groups simply because their belongings were confiscated during captivity.
Efforts to obtain clarification from the Police Headquarters in Abuja were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
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