The Edo State Police Command has reported significant progress in its fight against crime over the past year, highlighting major arrests, rescues, and seizures across the state.
In an end-of-year security review held on Monday in Benin City, Edo State Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, revealed that the Command rescued 377 victims from kidnappers’ dens and arrested 821 suspects as part of a targeted, intelligence-led campaign.
Agbonika provided a breakdown of the arrests, noting that 171 were suspected kidnappers, 117 were linked to murder, 62 to rape and sexual offences, 239 to cultism, and 157 for other criminal activities.
The Command also recovered 11 stolen vehicles, 188 firearms of various calibres, and 422 rounds of ammunition, he added.
READ ALSO: Yuletide: Police Deploy Land, Marine Assets To Strategic Spots In Delta
He highlighted that helicopters and drones from the Police Air Wing were deployed to Edo North to support a successful clearance operation against criminal hideouts.
The Edo CP called on residents to remain vigilant, law-abiding, and cooperative with security agencies, emphasizing that maintaining security is a shared responsibility.
On the disturbing reports of corpses going missing from some private mortuaries in the state, Agbonika described such acts as “criminal, inhuman, and a gross violation of the dignity of the deceased and the emotions of bereaved families.”
He warned that anyone found responsible would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and advised families to use government-owned mortuaries, where proper oversight is ensured.
