Kidnappers slaughter palm wine tapper after family offered N10,000 ransom In Delta

Rescued victim

A manhunt has begun across the Delta–Edo forest corridor after armed kidnappers brutally killed one of two abducted palm wine tappers in Emuhu community, near Agbor in Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State.

The victim was executed after his family reportedly pleaded for his release with the only amount they could raise — N10,000.

It was gathered that two men were attacked and whisked away from their farm in the early hours of Thursday while tapping palm wine in the Emuhu bush. The kidnappers marched them deep into the forest and immediately began demanding ransom from their relatives.

According to security sources and community volunteers involved in the rescue operation, the abductors became enraged when the family of one of the victims told them they could only afford N10,000. Describing the amount as an “insult,” the kidnappers allegedly killed the man on the spot.

The distressing revelation came from the second victim, who was found alive and rescued after an extensive joint operation.

Search teams traced the kidnappers’ trail from Emuhu through the Abavo axis towards the thick forest stretching into Urhonigbe in Edo State. After hours of combing the dense terrain, they located one of the abducted tappers — severely dehydrated, traumatised, and unable to walk without support.

He narrated to security operatives how his colleague was murdered simply because his family could not meet the kidnappers’ expectations. He also described how the gang moved them repeatedly through the bush to evade detection.

The killing has triggered outrage across Delta communities, with residents lamenting the worsening vulnerability of rural farmers and bush workers in the hands of criminal gangs. Locals say kidnapping gangs have now become more ruthless, often targeting people who barely earn enough to feed their families.

Security agencies have intensified surveillance across the Delta–Edo forest belt, but no arrests have been announced yet.

The survivor is currently receiving medical attention and assisting investigators with details that may aid in tracking down the killers.

As fear spreads across farming communities in Ika South and neighbouring areas, residents are calling on the federal and state governments to deploy a sustained military presence in the region to prevent further attacks.