The Edo State Government has condemned the reported abduction of 90-year-old Pa Joseph Iduoriyekemwen and directed security agencies to intensify efforts to locate him and secure his safe return to his family.
The government’s position was contained in a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, following reports that armed men allegedly took the elderly man from his residence in the early hours of Tuesday.
The circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear. A report published on October 6 said family sources alleged that armed men arrived at Pa Iduoriyekemwen’s residence at about 4am and took him away. The report further said the men allegedly identified themselves as officers of the Nigeria Police Force, although this claim had not been independently established at the time of publication.
The Edo State Government subsequently confirmed that an abduction had been reported and said Governor Monday Okpebholo had directed relevant security agencies to work together to secure the elderly man’s release within 24 hours.
The government described the reported abduction as reprehensible and expressed concern that a 90-year-old man had become the target of such an incident.
Afegbua also criticised what the government described as premature attempts by some individuals to attribute the incident to political motives or allege government involvement while the available information remained limited.
The government said such speculation could distract from the immediate task of finding Pa Iduoriyekemwen and determining exactly what happened.
The political dimension of the incident has nevertheless attracted attention because Pa Iduoriyekemwen is the father of Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, identified in current reports as the African Democratic Congress candidate for Edo South Senatorial District in the 2027 general election.
That connection has led to questions about whether the incident could have a political dimension. However, there is currently no verified evidence establishing that the reported abduction was politically motivated, and no credible evidence reviewed by IBN News establishes that the Edo State Government was responsible.
Those questions therefore remain matters for investigators rather than conclusions that can responsibly be presented as facts.
The immediate concern is the whereabouts and safety of the elderly man.
Governor Okpebholo, according to the government’s statement, has directed the security agencies to operate in collaboration and deploy available lawful resources towards locating Pa Iduoriyekemwen.
The directive comes against the backdrop of the Edo administration’s broader security campaign, which has included increased emphasis on intelligence-led operations, faster responses to criminal activity and specialised prosecution of kidnapping cases.
In September, the Edo State Special Criminal Court sentenced four men to death following their conviction on charges connected with kidnapping, conspiracy, armed robbery, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms. The case concerned the abduction of a woman in Benin City on June 14, 2026.
The development provides context for the government’s emphasis on prosecution and deterrence, but it does not by itself establish that the latest reported incident is connected to the activities of the same criminal network or to any particular political group.
The security situation in Edo has also produced recent successes. On October 3, the state police command reported arrests of suspected cult members, recovery of a six-month-old baby allegedly stolen and taken to Imo State, and other operations against criminal activity. The command said the operations were part of sustained intelligence-led efforts to protect lives and property.
At the same time, Governor Okpebholo has publicly stated that his administration is seeking to improve the speed with which security agencies respond to threats. In September, he said the government was working towards a five-minute response to security threats across the state.
The reported disappearance of a 90-year-old man now places those security commitments under renewed public scrutiny.
For the family, however, the immediate issue is not the political debate surrounding the case. It is the safe return of their relative.
The government has appealed to anyone with credible information that could assist investigators to provide it to the appropriate security authorities.
That appeal is particularly important because the circumstances of the reported incident have yet to be fully established publicly.
If the men who allegedly took Pa Iduoriyekemwen were genuinely law-enforcement officers, investigators will need to establish which agency they represented, whether they were acting under lawful authority and why the elderly man was taken.
If they were not genuine officers, investigators will need to determine how the suspects allegedly gained access to the residence, how they were able to identify themselves as security personnel and where they took the victim.
Those questions require evidence and investigation.
They should not be answered through political speculation, social-media accusations or assumptions about motive.
The same standard should apply to the government’s response. While the administration has ordered security agencies to act within 24 hours, the success of that directive will ultimately be measured by whether Pa Iduoriyekemwen is located safely and whether those responsible, if a criminal abduction is established, are identified and brought before a competent court.
The case also demonstrates the continuing difficulty of completely eliminating kidnapping and other violent crimes through security operations and judicial sanctions alone.
The Edo Government has argued that its security investments and coordination have strengthened the state’s ability to respond to criminal threats. The reported abduction, however, shows that authorities must continue to assess vulnerabilities and respond to emerging threats regardless of previous successes.
A balanced assessment requires both realities to be acknowledged.
There have been documented arrests, rescues, prosecutions and convictions in Edo, including the recent death sentences handed down in the kidnapping case.
But the occurrence of another reported abduction means that the security challenge has not disappeared.
For now, the most important unanswered question is simple: Where is Pa Joseph Iduoriyekemwen?
Until that question is answered, claims about who may be responsible or what motive may have been involved remain premature.
The Edo State Government has placed a 24-hour rescue directive before the security agencies. The family is waiting. The public is watching. And investigators now have the responsibility of establishing the facts without fear, favour or political interference.
What happened to the 90-year-old man must be established.
Where he is must be established.
And if a criminal act occurred, whoever was responsible must face the law.
