Pascal Amumiasunya, a 500-level medical student of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, has been rescued by operatives of the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC) after being held captive for eight days. The victim was saved at the precise moment his abductors arrived to collect an N18 million ransom.
Deputy Commandant (Operations) of the Corps, Richard Balogun, disclosed to newsmen in Benin City that the student was rescued unhurt in a forest around Anegbete, Etsako Central Local Government Area, without any ransom payment. The kidnappers fled upon sighting the security operatives, abandoning their phones which were handed to the police.
According to local sources, the student was abducted on January 22 around 4:30 p.m. while traveling on the Ugboha–Anegbete Road from Ekpoma. His family had earlier launched a public appeal for financial assistance to meet the kidnappers' N18 million demand, titled “Please Help Save Pascal Alumiasunya.”
An elaborate rescue operation unfolded on January 25 when ESSC operatives mobilized local hunters into the forest. An ambush was laid at the ransom collection point. "The victim’s family took the agreed ransom to a location in the bush where the kidnappers were to receive it before effecting his release," a source explained. The security team struck as the kidnappers arrived, causing them to flee and abandon their victim.
Narrating his ordeal, the rescued student said, “When we got to their camp, they asked me to call my brother and say that I had been kidnapped. They then demanded ₦18 million.” He expressed profound gratitude for his rescue by the Corps operatives.
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