By Jethro Ibileke
Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have reportedly abducted an Auchi, Edo State-based medical doctor, Abu Ibrahim Babatunde.
A brother of the victim, identified as Abu Tahir, was also not spared by the kidnappers.
They wers reportedly abducted on the evening of New Year Day (Thursday, January 1, 2026), along City Pride Road, Igbira Camp, Auchi, the administrative headquarters of Etsako West Local Government Area.
The medical doctor said to be currently undergoing housemanship at the Edo State Teaching Hospital, Auchi, was returning home from work with his brother, Tahir, when the assailants struck.
Sources said the brothers arrived at their residence at about 7:30 pm as Tahir stepped out of their vehicle to open the gate when the gunmen, who were reportedly laid ambush emerged from hiding.
The attackers abducted the brothers at gunpoint and whisked them into the nearby bush.
Confirming the incident, the State Police Command spokesperson, ASP Eno Ikoedem, said the Command received a distress call at about 8.30 pm, reporting the abduction.
She said operatives were immediately deployed to the scene, while a coordinated manhunt was launched involving the police, local vigilantes, forest guards, and Community Safety Partnership Volunteers familiar with the terrain.
She added that aggressive search-and-rescue operations have been ongoing in the surrounding forest since the incident, with efforts focused on rescuing the victims and apprehending the perpetrators.
Ikoedem assured that the Command would leave no stone unturned to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted brothers
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