Gunmen Abduct Doctor and Brother in Edo on New Year’s Day

In Auchi, the administrative center of Etsako West Local Government Area in Edo State, gunmen suspected of being kidnappers kidnapped a doctor named Abu Ibrahim Babatunde and his brother, Abu Tahir.

The two were reportedly abducted on Thursday, January 1, 2026, New Year’s Day, at around 7:30 p.m. from their home on City Pride Road in the Ibira camp area.

According to reports, the physician is undergoing housemanship at Auchi’s Edo State Teaching Hospital.

It was discovered that when coming from work, the victims were abducted at gunpoint in front of their home.

A source claims that about 7:30 p.m., the doctor and his younger brother arrived at their home.

When the shooters, who were supposedly waiting, came out of cover, Tahir, the younger brother, got out of the car to unlock the gate.

He claimed, “The two brothers were kidnapped by the gunmen and whisked into the nearby bush.”

Operatives have been sent to the scene, according to the Edo State Police Command authorities, who have confirmed the event.

On January 2, 2026, at approximately 8:30 p.m., the command got a distress call regarding the kidnapping, according to ASP Eno Ikoedem, the command’s public relations officer.

In order to rescue the victims, a coordinated manhunt including the police, local vigilantes, forest guards, and Community Safety Partnership Volunteers who are familiar with the area has been begun, according to Ikoedem. Operatives were sent to the spot almost away.

Since the event, “aggressive search-and-rescue operations have been ongoing in the surrounding forest with efforts focused on rescuing the victims and apprehending the perpetrators,” she continued.

She promised that every effort would be made by the command to guarantee the victims’ safe rescue.

In the meantime, Auchi community members have denounced the kidnapping of the doctor and his brother, calling the event unpleasant and unsettling.

The locals believed that the young physician’s only transgression was helping people, despite characterizing him as a composed, devoted young professional committed to saving lives.

However, they urged security services, the Edo State Government, and other pertinent authorities to move quickly to ensure the victims’ safe and unconditional release.