Army Neutralise Notorious Kidnapper, Rescue Four Victims In Edo Forest

Troops of 4 Brigade under 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, in collaboration with Edo State Security Corps, have neutralised a notorious kidnapper, rescued four people who were kidnapped in Warake Forest and arrested a suspected kingpin in separate operations across Edo State.

In a late Wednesday statement signed by Captain Kennedy Anyanwu, the Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 4 Brigade in Benin City, the operations were carried out under Operation Igbo Danu 1 in Warake Forest, Auchi Local Government Area, and Ujemen in Esan West Local Government Area.

According to the statement, troops during Operation Igbo Danu 1 worked alongside personnel from the Nigerian Army School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and local vigilantes, and carried out a night operation on 3 March 2026 in Warake Forest.

During the operation, the troops responded to gunshots heard in the forest during a night patrol with aggressive pursuit and minimum use of firearms and neutralised a notorious kidnapper that has been terrorising Auchi and environs during the encounter.

The statement reads, “The superior firepower of troops forced the remaining criminals to abandon their victims and flee into the bush. Four victims, including Stella Abbas (Age 29), Tina Ododa (Age 19), Razak Rashid (Age 27) and Mutanibi Kalifa (Age 16), were rescued unhurt and later reunited with their families.

“Items recovered from the neutralised kidnapper are cash amount of Six Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (#650,000) only, footwear, power bank, and mobile phones.”

In a separate operation on 3 March 2026, troops in collaboration with the Edo State Security Corps raided a house in Ujemen, Esan West Local Government Area, suspected to be a kidnapper’s hideout and arrested a 39-year-old suspect, Omogbegha Solomon, during the raid.

The statement revealed that troops, during the raid, discovered a shrine containing charms and photographs of various individuals in an abandoned room within the compound.

The statement added, “The shrine was destroyed in-situ, and the suspect was handed over to the Nigeria Police Force Ekpoma Division for further investigation.”

The Commander 4 Brigade, Brigadier General Ahmed Balogun, commended the troops for their dexterity and urged them to sustain the aggressive onslaught against all the criminal elements in line with directives from the General Officer Commanding 2 Division, Major General Chinedu Nnebeife.

He further reassured the residents of Edo State of the Brigade’s commitment towards the protection of lives and property in the state.