The Edo State Police Command has arrested 113 suspected kidnappers during a massive joint security operation across Edo North and Edo Central.
The arrests were disclosed in a statement on Thursday by the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Eno Ikoedem, who said the operation was carried out in the early hours of the day at about 3:00 a.m.
According to the statement, the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, personally led a joint task force comprising operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, vigilante groups, and local hunters in a coordinated sweep of strategic locations in Edo Central.
The police said the operation followed credible intelligence that ransom proceeds from kidnapping activities were being secretly received and coordinated at identified “Zangos” in Agbede and Iruekpen. These locations were allegedly being used by suspected kidnappers and their collaborators to collect ransom payments, regroup, and blend with unsuspecting members of the public.
“Coordinated raids on the identified zango settlements in Agbede and Iruekpen were carried out, where actionable intelligence indicated that suspected kidnappers and their collaborators converge to receive ransom payments, regroup and blend with unsuspecting members of the public,” the statement read.
The raids led to the arrest of 113 suspects, who are currently undergoing profiling to determine their level of involvement in kidnapping activities. The command said those found culpable would be prosecuted accordingly.
The Commissioner of Police reiterated that the crackdown on organized kidnapping networks would remain relentless, stressing that security forces would not only pursue armed elements in forests but also dismantle their financial and human support systems across the state.
He urged residents to remain vigilant and continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies, assuring that all intelligence would be treated with strict confidentiality. He warned that there would be no safe haven for kidnappers or their collaborators anywhere in the state.
The operation comes amid heightened security concerns following the killing of a high-ranking palace chief, Chief Jimah Jacob Ogboi, in Iduah Kingdom, Esan West Local Government Area. The chief was reportedly shot dead at his residence on Monday night, while two of his daughters were abducted.
Sources said the gunmen stormed the residence and shot the chief at close range. His wife was also attacked with machetes and left seriously injured. One of the deceased’s sons, Lucky, said he had stepped out to purchase an item when the attack occurred.
