The recently called-to-bar lawyer, Peace Onyesom, and her sister, Gift Onyesom, have regained their freedom after being abducted along the notorious Okene-Auchi highway last Friday. The rescue, confirmed by their family on Tuesday, throws a spotlight once again on the escalating crisis of insecurity plaguing Nigeria’s major roads.
The Abduction and Rescue
Peace Onyesom, who participated in the Nigerian Law School call-to-the-bar ceremony in Abuja on September 23, was traveling back to her base in Benin, Edo State, with her sister, Gift, when their journey was violently interrupted by kidnappers on Friday.
Their ordeal ended days later when, according to a video shared by Peace, they were rescued by military personnel.
In the video, a relieved Peace said: “Thank you, everyone. My sister and I have been rescued. The military in Okpella has rescued us.”
This account was corroborated by Harrisson Gwanishu, a former aide to the Delta State Governor, who wrote: “Peace Onyesom and Gift Onyesom, kidnapped while returning from the call to bar ceremony in Abuja, have just been released to us near a village in Okpella. It is a tough journey.“
The police had previously reported a multi-victim abduction in the area, with the Nigerian Police Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirming on his X page that eight abducted persons were rescued earlier in the week.
A Symbol of Nigeria’s Concerning Insecurity
The kidnapping of the Onyesom sisters, just days after Peace achieved a major life milestone, has been cited by many Nigerians as a grim example of the country’s decaying public safety. The Okene-Auchi road, which connects the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to Nigeria’s South-South region, is increasingly becoming a deadly flashpoint.
This incident is far from isolated:
- February Abduction: A National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Rofiat Lawal, was kidnapped along the Benin-Ore Expressway. She was eventually released only after her family paid a N1 million ransom, highlighting the transactional nature of the crisis.
- September Incidents: Earlier on September 9, the Kogi State Vigilante Services confirmed the abduction of three passengers from a commercial bus on the nearby Okene-Lokoja Expressway.
The repeated, high-profile attacks on major highways—targeting students, professionals, and travelers—underscore the pervasive threat of banditry and kidnapping that is making inter-state travel a precarious gamble and contributing to the deepening concern over Nigeria’s internal security stability.
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