Troops of the Nigerian Army’s 4 Brigade, in collaboration with other security agencies, have arrested 13 suspected kidnappers and recovered arms, drugs and other items during coordinated clearance operations in Edo North Senatorial District.
The operations were conducted in collaboration with the Nigerian Air Force, Edo State Police Command, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Edo State Security Corps.
This was contained in a midnight statement on Friday by the Assistant Director Army Public Relations, 4 Brigade, Capt. Kennedy Anyanwu.
According to the statement, the first operation, codenamed Operation Igbo Danu 1, targeted criminal hideouts in Osara Community in Etsako West Local Government Area, as well as Auchi and Okpella communities.
The operation was aimed at neutralising terrorists and kidnappers and rescuing victims.
During the raid, eight suspects believed to be kidnappers and illicit drug peddlers were arrested.
They were identified as Jamilu Mohammad (25), Kasim Abu (33), Braimoh Affeez (31), Sulaiman Hamisu (36), Lawan Umaru (25), Bawa Auwal (24), Musa Umaru (40), and Amodu Attai (50).
Items recovered from the suspects included one English-made pump-action gun, four live cartridges and a locally fabricated pistol.
Security operatives also seized a Point-of-Sale (POS) machine, two cutlasses, a Nikon digital camera, two Android phones, a metal hook, five bottles of codeine syrup, two weighing scales used for Indian hemp, and quantities of substances suspected to be cannabis sativa, tramadol, ice, loud and colos. A total of ₦87,550 was also recovered.
In a related operation, troops of 4 Brigade and personnel of the Edo State Police Command combed the Aviele Forest in Etsako West Local Government Area in a continued effort to flush out criminal elements.
Five additional suspected kidnappers — Isiaka Abubakar (37), Mohammad Abubakar (25), Yusuf Abubakar (24), Mohammed Somu (20), and Isiaka Ibrahim (30) — were arrested during the raid.
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Recovered items from the second operation included two motorcycles, two Android phones and a power bank.
All suspects and recovered items have been handed over to the Edo State Police Command for further investigation and possible prosecution.
The Commander of 4 Brigade, Brigadier General Ahmed Balogun, who led the operations, praised the swift response and effective collaboration among the participating security agencies.
He warned that Edo State would not be a safe haven for terrorists, kidnappers and other criminal elements, reaffirming the Brigade’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property across the state.
General Balogun also expressed appreciation to the General Officer Commanding 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Chinedu Nnebeife, for his strategic guidance and support.
