Kidnapped Edo Medical Doctor Rescued

Felix Omoh-Asun in Benin

After weeks in kidnappers’ den, Dr. Ibrahim Abu Babatunde, has been rescued.

Dr. Babatunde was abducted alongside his brother, who was killed in captivity in Auchi area of Edo State on January 1st 2026.

The Edo State Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Eustace Oseghale, confirmed the release of the doctor, Thursday.

Oseghale who said the state executives of the association are currently in a meeting added they will issue an official statement on the release.

The medical doctor, doing his housemanship with the Edo University Teaching Hospital, Iyamho, was abducted with his younger brother, Abu Tahir, a fresh medical doctor graduate from Ambrose Alli University, AAU, after the close of work.

The duo were kidnapped at the gate of their residence located at Igbira camp, Auchi, the administrative headquarters of Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.

The abductors who had earlier demanded the sum of N200million as ransom for the duo, however, killed his junior brother, Tahir Abu on January 6, 2026.

His lifeless body was found by the river side by security operatives.

Despite the death of the newly graduated medical doctor, the gunmen still held Dr. Babatunde hostage and reduced the ransom to N100million.

The ransom was reportedly further reduced to NN40 million after additional negotiations with family members

The news of the release of Dr. Babatunde was made public in a viral video posted on different social media platforms.

One of the platforms, Auchi blog and service on its Facebook, said the medical doctor was rescued by Auchi hunters and local vigilantes in the forest on Wednesday evening, about 8pm.

A narrator in the video said the vigilantes neutralised one of the abductors.

The vigilantes were seen in the video helping the doctor to enter a waiting vehicle after the rescue.

He said, the doctor sustained a gunshot injury on his leg.

According to him, he was rescued in a deep forest. “I am carrying him from a very long distance. He cannot walk because the kidnappers shot him in the leg.”

Edo State Police PRO, Eno Ikoedem, is yet to reply to inquiry about the rescue as the time of filing this report.