A quiet community in Edo State was thrown into turmoil on Monday, December 22, 2025, following the abduction of seven persons, including an elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Izebhokhae, by suspected bandits.
The incident, reportedly triggered by a long-standing family dispute over female circumcision, has left residents in fear and confusion.
Eyewitnesses report that the assailants stormed the family residence in a violent manner, beating occupants and destroying household property. The invaders were said to be shouting demands for the whereabouts of the couple’s daughter, Mrs. Ehiasotie Obiorah, and her children.
“They kept yelling, ‘Where is your daughter and her children?’ while smashing everything in sight,” a neighbour recounted.
A family member, who is a son of the victims and witnessed the invasion, disclosed that the attackers accused the elderly couple of shielding Mrs. Obiorah. When the couple maintained they did not know her location, the assailants threatened to hold them hostage until the information was provided. The gunmen subsequently whisked away Mr. and Mrs. Izebhokhae along with five other relatives.
The source revealed that the family has been under threat since 2015 due to Mrs. Obiorah’s refusal to subject her daughters to female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice allegedly demanded by her husband’s family from Awka, Anambra State, in adherence to Igbo customs.
It was alleged that in 2015, agents of the aggrieved family forcefully abducted Mrs. Obiorah’s eldest daughter, Emmanuela, as an infant and subjected her to the procedure. That incident reportedly forced Mrs. Obiorah into hiding to protect her other children.
The family confirmed that the latest abduction has been reported to the police. They have issued an urgent appeal to security agencies and human rights organizations to intervene, secure the release of the seven victims, and put an end to the years of harassment and violence linked to the harmful traditional practice.