The Edo State Police Command has rescued nine kidnapped victims from two separate abduction incidents along the Benin–Lagos corridor and adjoining forest areas.
The Command disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday by its Police Public Relations Officer, Eno Ikoedem, noting that the operation followed coordinated tactical efforts ordered by the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika.
According to the statement, the victims abducted during a recent attack along the Benin–Lagos Expressway were all rescued alive after the deployment of tactical teams, intelligence assets, aerial surveillance, and sustained bush-combing operations.
The police said the sustained pressure mounted on the kidnappers forced them to release the victims, who have since undergone medical evaluation and been reunited with their families.
“In a related development, the Command also successfully rescued four other kidnapped victims who were abducted earlier this month and held in captivity within the Imiegba forest in Agenebode,” the statement added.
The Command confirmed that all rescued victims were medically examined and found to be safe, bringing the total number of those freed to nine.
It assured residents that security presence along the Benin–Lagos Expressway and surrounding forest corridors has been significantly reinforced to prevent further incidents.
The rescue operations followed an earlier attack on a GUO Transport Company bus along the Lagos–Benin Express Road in the Iguobazuwa axis on April 18, 2026.
Police said suspected armed kidnappers opened fire on the vehicle, killing the driver and abducting passengers. One female passenger was earlier rescued with gunshot injuries, while others were taken into the forest before the latest rescue operations.
The driver’s body was deposited at a mortuary, while the recovered bus has been secured as investigations continue.
