Murder of anti-kidnapping protester Marcus Dafe overshadows police victory in Abraka

Despite a major breakthrough by the police in Abraka on Thursday, June 6, where four suspected kidnappers were killed, the mood in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State turned somber following the murder of Marcus Samuel Dafe, a prominent anti-kidnapping protester.

Marcus had been an outspoken participant in a peaceful protest held just two days earlier, where residents decried the alarming rise in kidnapping incidents in the university town. His brutal killing by suspected kidnappers overshadowed the police’s victory and plunged the community into mourning.

Residents took to Facebook and other social media platforms to express grief and outrage over Marcus’s death, with many describing him as a voice of courage silenced too soon.

Sources in Abraka told Vanguard that Marcus was abducted while returning from a land-related meeting. “All we heard later was that Marcus was dead,” a local source said.

In the aftermath of the killing, some community members reported that many northern residents of Abraka had fled the area, fearing retaliatory violence or further insecurity.

Meanwhile, the Delta State Police Command confirmed the earlier success in a separate incident where four suspected kidnappers were neutralized in the early hours of Wednesday during a joint operation by police officers, local hunters, vigilantes, and anti-cult volunteers.

Police spokesperson SP Bright Edafe said the operation took place around 3:00 a.m. along the Abraka railway axis, following credible intelligence on the movement of the suspected kidnappers.

Recovered from the suspects were one AK-47 rifle and thirteen rounds of live ammunition. According to the police, a rescued kidnapping victim later identified one of the deceased as a gang leader responsible for his abduction.

Commissioner of Police, CP Abaniwonda Olufemi, commended the joint security efforts and urged operatives to maintain momentum in the fight against criminality.

Despite the success, the tragic loss of Marcus Dafe has cast a long shadow over what would have otherwise been a moment of relief for a community under siege.