Society Editor
By Tolu Adesuwa Igiehon
Kidnapped Palm Wine Tapper Freed in Delta, Companion Killed After Family Could Only Offer ₦10,000 Ransom
Tragedy struck in Emuhu, near Agbor in Delta State, after two palm wine tappers were abducted by armed men during their early morning routine. While one of the victims has been rescued alive, the other was brutally killed when his family—too poor to meet the kidnappers’ demands—began negotiating with just ₦10,000.
According to activist Harrison Gwamnishu, who has been coordinating community responses to the rising wave of rural kidnappings, the victim’s family pleaded with the abductors using the little money they could gather. The kidnappers, angered by the low offer, allegedly executed him instantly.
A video shared online captures the emotional moment the surviving tapper was discovered. Weak and lying by the roadside, he asked for water before being assisted into a vehicle and taken home. His relatives, overwhelmed with relief, were seen giving thanks to God upon his return.
Gwamnishu, in his account of the rescue mission, praised the collaborative efforts of security operatives, saying:
“Security agencies responded immediately. The Military from the 63 Brigade, the Emuhu Vigilante Group, Anti-Cult Abavo, Operation Soup, and multiple Police units worked with us throughout the search.”
He explained that the rescue team combed several communities — Emuhu, Abavo, Obi-Ayama, and finally Urhonigbe in Edo State — where the surviving victim was eventually found.
The freed tapper later recounted how his colleague was murdered after the man’s family attempted to negotiate with the kidnappers using the only money they had left.
“This is the painful reality our people are facing,” Gwamnishu lamented, calling attention to the worsening insecurity threatening rural livelihoods across the region.
