Concern continues to mount in Sapele and surrounding communities following the abduction of the Chairman of Sapele Local Government Area, Hon. Bright Abeke, with no confirmed information on his whereabouts one week after the incident.
Residents, including members of his community, have expressed growing fears over his safety, even as security agencies maintain that efforts are ongoing to secure his release. A concerned indigene, who spoke anonymously, voiced confidence in the capabilities of the police and other security operatives, expressing hope that the chairman would be rescued alive and reunited with his family.
Hon. Abeke was reportedly kidnapped on the evening of Friday, April 10, 2026, at about 7:25 p.m. The incident occurred at a hotel along Owumi Road in Sapele, Delta State. Eyewitness accounts indicate that armed men arrived in a vehicle, fired shots to create panic, and forcibly took the council boss to an undisclosed location.
During the attack, a local vigilante member identified as Ufuoma and another individual sustained injuries. The injured vigilante was rushed to a medical facility, though details about his condition remain unclear.
In response, the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Yemi Oyeniyi, has taken direct charge of security operations in the area, assuring residents that all necessary measures are being deployed to ensure the chairman’s safe return.
As part of the ongoing investigation, the police chief conducted on-site inspections of key locations linked to the incident. These include Debro Fred Guest House, believed to be the last known location of the chairman before his abduction, and Ogorode Waterside, where a vehicle suspected to have been used by the kidnappers was recovered.
Authorities say the recovered vehicle may provide critical leads as security agencies intensify intelligence gathering and forensic analysis in a bid to track down the perpetrators.
