Troops of the 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, in collaboration with the Nigerian Air Force, Edo State Police Command, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Edo State Security Corps, have arrested 13 suspected kidnappers and illicit drug peddlers during a coordinated clearance operation across parts of Edo State.
The operation, codenamed Operation IGBO DANU 1, was conducted on February 4, 2026, targeting criminal hideouts in Osara Community in Etsako West Local Government Area, as well as Auchi and Okpella communities in Edo North Senatorial District.
According to a statement by Captain Kennedy Anyanwu, Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 4 Brigade Nigerian Army, eight suspects were initially arrested during the operation.
“The operation was conducted to neutralise and flush out terrorists, kidnappers and rescue victims within the targeted communities,” Anyanwu said.
The suspects were identified as 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).
He disclosed that security operatives recovered weapons and other incriminating items from the suspects.
“We recovered one English auto pump-action gun, four live cartridges, and one locally made pistol from the suspects,” he said.
Other items seized during the operation included a Point-of-Sale (POS) machine, two cutlasses, a Nikon digital camera, two Android phones, a metal hook, five bottles of codeine syrup, two weighing scales used for Indian hemp, and quantities of substances suspected to be cannabis sativa, tramadol, ice, loud and colos. The sum of ₦87,550 was also recovered.
Anyanwu noted that the suspects and the recovered items had been handed over to the Edo State Police Command for further investigation.
In a related operation, troops of the 4 Brigade, in conjunction with the Edo State Police Command, conducted a raid in Aviele Forest, also in Etsako West Local Government Area, to dislodge suspected kidnappers and terrorists.
“During the raid, five suspected kidnappers were arrested,” he said, identifying them as Isiaka Abubakar (37), Mohammad Abubakar (25), Yusuf Abubakar (24), Mohammed Somu (20), and Isiaka Ibrahim (30).
Items recovered from the second operation included two motorcycles, two Android phones, and a power bank. The suspects and items were also handed over to the police for further investigation.
The Commander 4 Brigade, Brigadier General Ahmed Balogun, who led the operations, commended the collaboration among security agencies, describing it as crucial to the success of the mission.
“Edo State will be untenable for terrorists, kidnappers and other criminal elements to carry out their nefarious activities,” Balogun warned.
He reaffirmed the Brigade’s commitment to protecting lives and property in the state and expressed appreciation to the General Officer Commanding 2 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Chinedu Nnebeife, for his strategic guidance and support.
