Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have arrested three suspected kidnappers, including a citizen of the Niger Republic, while another suspect was neutralised during separate security operations across Edo State.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Eno Ikoedem, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, explaining that the breakthrough followed intensified security operations in communities within the Edo Central Senatorial District.
According to her, one suspected kidnapper was killed after a four-man gang engaged police operatives in a gun duel during a bush-combing operation. Three other suspects escaped into the forest with gunshot wounds, while arms were recovered from the gang’s hideout.
The police spokesperson said the operation followed earlier concerns over increasing kidnapping incidents in parts of the district.
Earlier, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Monday Agbonika, led a strategic security deployment to the area between February 16 and February 22, 2026, to assess the situation and reposition personnel for improved policing.
During the deployment, forests around Ubiaja were identified as major security flashpoints and subsequently placed under intensified surveillance.
Following the exercise, the Ubiaja Police Division recorded several breakthroughs in the fight against kidnapping and other violent crimes.
One of the arrests occurred on February 17, 2026, at about 6:00 p.m., when operatives apprehended a suspected kidnapper identified as Suleman Harruna, a 28-year-old citizen of the Niger Republic residing in Kaba, Kogi State.
Police said the suspect had earlier been declared wanted and was identified by members of the Hausa/Fulani community as a member of a notorious kidnapping gang.
“The suspect made useful confessions and has been aiding the police in ongoing investigations,” Ikoedem said.
In another operation on February 20, 2026, at about 5:50 p.m., operatives arrested another suspect, Ibrahim Kodo, 25, from Illushi in collaboration with personnel of the Nigerian Army.
Police said the suspect was identified by a kidnapping victim as one of three armed men who abducted him from his farm on June 2, 2025.
Similarly, on February 26, 2026, at about 9:00 a.m., another suspected kidnapper, Orsee Iorzaa, 32, of Omi Camp in Illushi, was arrested through surveillance based on intelligence.
A victim reportedly identified him as one of five armed men who invaded his home and abducted him on February 21, 2026. Police said investigations are ongoing to recover weapons used by the gang and apprehend other members.
In a more recent development on March 7, 2026, at about 8:25 a.m., police operatives, in collaboration with members of the Edo State Security Corps, carried out a bush-combing operation in the Onogholọ Forest and Akwocha Forest in Edo State.
During the operation, four suspected kidnappers reportedly opened fire on the security team but were overpowered by the operatives’ superior firepower. One suspect was neutralised, while three others fled into the forest with gunshot wounds.
Items recovered from the scene included a single-barrelled shotgun, a black facial mask, two live cartridges, and two expended cartridges. Police said bush-combing operations are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects.
