The Edo State Police Command has recovered the decomposing body of a 56-year-old farmer, Henry Oyagbomwan, who was reportedly killed and buried in a shallow grave by five of his farm workers in Igueze village, Ovia North East Local Council.

Oyagbomwan was said to have been murdered after selling pineapples worth N900,000 at his farm on Friday, May 13, 2025. Police investigations revealed that the suspects, after collecting the proceeds from the sale, abducted and killed their employer before fleeing to various locations.

According to police sources, the suspects demanded a ransom of N60 million from the farmer’s family after the murder. However, when the family insisted on speaking with Oyagbomwan before making any payment, the suspects reduced the ransom to N300,000, collected the money, and cut off all communication.

The family reported the incident to the police, prompting men of the anti-kidnapping squad to begin a manhunt. One of the suspects, Bassey Uyong Umeh, was tracked and arrested in Akwa Ibom State. Umeh confessed to the crime and led the police to the shallow grave where Oyagbomwan’s decomposing body was recovered.

The victim’s son, Festus, expressed shock and anguish over his father’s gruesome murder, adding that the mobile phones of the remaining suspects had been switched off.

Spokesperson for the Edo State Police Command, Moses Yamu, stated that investigations were ongoing and efforts were being intensified to apprehend the other fleeing suspects.