Two palm-wine tappers were abducted on Thursday in Emuhu community near Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, with one of them later killed after his family reportedly offered only N10,000 to the kidnappers.
The victims, who routinely set out at dawn to tap palm wine in the bush, were ambushed by armed men who have been terrorising rural communities across Delta and parts of Edo State.
A distressing video already spreading on the internet shows the surviving victim shortly after he was rescued—weak, dehydrated and repeatedly begging for water.
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The abduction sparked immediate panic in the area, prompting a joint search operation. Troops of the 63 Brigade, Emuhu Vigilante Group, Anti-Cult Abavo, Operation Soup, and several police units combed villages and forests stretching through Emuhu, Abavo, Obi-Ayama and the thick Urhonigbe forest in Edo State.
The rescue team eventually found one of the abducted men alive in Urhonigbe. Barely able to stand, he was carried out of the bush and rushed for medical care.
After stabilising, he recounted their ordeal. According to him, his colleague’s family, unable to afford more, offered the kidnappers N10,000. The gunmen allegedly called the amount an “insult” and shot the victim dead.
Security analyst Zagazola Makama confirmed the incident, calling it another stark reminder of the worsening insecurity facing rural dwellers.
A member of the rescue mission described the situation as heartbreaking: “Families are too poor to pay ransom, and criminals now treat human lives like bargaining chips.”
Security forces say efforts are ongoing to track down the perpetrators.
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