BENIN CITY, Nigeria — A coordinated security operation in Edo State has led to the arrest of 13 suspected kidnappers and drug peddlers in two forest raids across Etsako West Local Government Area, authorities said.
In a statement by the Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 4 Brigade, Capt. Kennedy Anyanwu, troops said the first phase of the operation — codenamed Operation IGBO DANU 1 — targeted criminal hideouts in Osara, Auchi and Okpella communities in Edo North Senatorial District. The mission involved the Nigerian Army’s 4 Brigade, the Nigerian Air Force, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Edo State Security Corps.
According to the statement, eight suspects were arrested during the first raid: Jamilu Mohammad (25), Kasim Abu (33), Braimoh Affeez (31), Sulaiman Hamisu (36), Lawan Umaru (25), Bawa Auwal (24), Musa Umaru (40), and Amodu Attai (50). Security operatives said they recovered one English auto pump-action gun, four live cartridges and one locally made pistol.
Other items reportedly seized included a POS machine, two cutlasses, a Nikon digital camera, two Android phones, a metal hook, five bottles of codeine syrup, two drug-weighing scales, and substances suspected to be cannabis, tramadol and other narcotics. Cash totaling N87,550 was also recovered, officials said. All suspects and recovered items were handed over to the Edo State Police Command for investigation and possible prosecution.
In a related follow-up operation, soldiers and police combed the Aviele Forest in the same LGA, where five additional suspects were arrested: Isiaka Abubakar (37), Mohammad Abubakar (25), Yusuf Abubakar (24), Mohammed Somu (20), and Isiaka Ibrahim (30). Recovered from that raid were two motorcycles, two Android phones and a power bank, according to security authorities.
The Edo operations are part of a wider push by security agencies to disrupt kidnap networks and illicit drug routes in forest corridors across the state. While officials presented the arrests as a tactical success, analysts say sustained intelligence-led patrols, swift prosecution and community cooperation will be critical to preventing regrouping by armed gangs.
