The Edo State Police Command has arrested Jonas Ehis, a 26-year-old man allegedly involved in the January 2023 attack and kidnapping at the Igueben train station, nearly two years after the incident. Ehis was also arrested in connection with the murder of Gazali Hassan, who was killed following the theft of his motorcycle on August 31, 2024.
State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Moses Yamu, presented Ehis alongside 11 other suspects in Benin City on Friday, providing details on his involvement in various crimes. Yamu recalled the January 7, 2023, attack at Igueben train station, where numerous people were abducted by armed assailants.
Ehis’ recent arrest came on September 1, 2024, after a police surveillance patrol intercepted him and two accomplices on a motorcycle. During questioning, a phone in Ehis’ possession rang, and the caller revealed that the phone’s owner, Gazali Hassan, had gone missing with his motorcycle. This led investigators to discover that Ehis and his accomplices had murdered Hassan and stolen his motorcycle.
Police later recovered Hassan’s body along the Idumoza pipeline in Uromi, Esan North-East Local Government Area. Further investigations led to the arrest of seven additional suspects linked to criminal activities, including the robbery at Osigholo filling station and the Igueben train station attack.
In an interview, Ehis admitted that he earned N2 million from his involvement in the train station kidnapping, where he was hired as a logistics provider, using his motorcycle to transport other suspects.
“I am a motorcycle rider and I was contracted by Amenvbagbe Ogelegbe to take him and others to the train station for kidnapping. After everything, he gave me N2 million and said that was my share of the kidnapping,” Ehis confessed.
The police are continuing their investigation to apprehend the remaining members of the criminal syndicate and recover their weapons.
