A 56-year-old farmer, Henry Oyagbomwan, was reportedly murdered by five of his farm workers on May 13 in Igueze village, Ovia North-East, Edo State. The incident followed the sale of pineapples worth N900,000 at his farm. Police reports indicate the workers took the money from the sale, killed Oyagbomwan, and buried his body in a shallow grave before fleeing to various locations. The suspects later contacted the victim’s family, demanding a N60 million ransom.
The family refused to pay without speaking to Oyagbomwan. The workers lowered their demand to N300,000, collected the payment, and cut off communication. Following a report to the authorities, the anti-kidnapping squad tracked one suspect, Bassey Uyong Umeh, to a creek in Akwa Ibom State, where he was arrested. During questioning, Umeh revealed Oyagbomwan had been killed and led police to the burial site, where the decomposing body was recovered. Edo State Police spokesperson Moses Yamu confirmed the incident, stating that investigations are ongoing to apprehend the remaining suspects.
