Edo State is once again gripped by fear, anger, and heartbreak as kidnappers holding a young woman, Aisha Wahab, have issued a 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline, demanding a ₦20 million ransom or they will execute her.
In a heart-wrenching video circulating on social media and obtained by newsmen, Aisha is seen kneeling helplessly on bare ground, trembling as an armed man points a rifle to her head and chest. Her voice, cracked with fear, pierces the heart:
“Please, help me… They said they will kill me if the ₦20 million ransom is not paid by 5 p.m. today.”
It is a scene too painful to watch — a young woman’s life hanging by the thread of money her family does not have, while those in power carry on with business as usual.
Aisha was kidnapped at Igbira Camp in Auchi, Edo State, plunging her family and community into chaos and despair. Her captors’ ultimatum has sparked outrage among residents who say Edo has become a playground for kidnappers, with the state government watching from the sidelines. “Kidnapping is now a booming business here. Nobody is safe, not even schoolchildren or priests. Yet our leaders pretend nothing is happening,” a resident fumed.
Many accuse Governor Monday Okpebholo of sleeping on his constitutional duty as the state’s Chief Security Officer. According to locals, the governor has shown little urgency in addressing the wave of abductions sweeping through Auchi, Etsako, and other parts of the state.
“Edo is no longer the Heartbeat of the Nation; it is the heartbeat of fear,” another resident lamented.
In July 2025, two seminarians were abducted at the same place in Ivhianakpodi, Auchi. A Civil Defence officer was shot dead during the attack. Months later, despite reports of ransom payments, the victims remain missing.
Residents are now openly questioning what exactly the security agencies in Edo are doing. Some allege that law enforcement spends more energy harassing activists and journalists than chasing armed gangs that terrorize rural communities. “They can find a critic in 24 hours but can’t trace kidnappers in months,” a source said bitterly.
As the 5 p.m. deadline approaches, fear thickens in the air. Every ticking second feels like a countdown to tragedy. Aisha’s family, broke and broken, are appealing to Nigerians everywhere for help to raise the ransom — a desperate plea for a life that should never have been left at the mercy of criminals.
Meanwhile, the state government’s silence remains deafening — a tragic reflection of the growing belief that in Edo today, life is cheap, and leadership is missing.
