The Edo State Police Command has announced a major security reorganisation in Ekpoma and recorded significant operational successes, including the arrest of an 18-year-old for staging her own kidnapping and the busting of an alleged kidnapping syndicate in Ubiaja.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikoedem, the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, CP Monday Agbonika, fdc, ordered the reorganisation of the Ekpoma Division as part of ongoing security assessment and strategic repositioning in the area.
“As part of the reorganisation, the Commissioner of Police approved the posting of CSP Tomofe Nwabueze as the new Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ekpoma Division with immediate effect,” ASP Ikoedem said.
The Command disclosed that shortly after assuming duty, the new DPO responded swiftly to a report of a suspected kidnapping along Old INEC Road, Ekpoma, received at about noon on January 12, 2026.
“Technical intelligence and field investigations led to the arrest of the suspect, which later revealed a case of self-kidnapping,” the police spokesperson stated.
The suspect, identified as Obehi Odine ‘F’, aged 18, was arrested for allegedly staging her own abduction and demanding a ransom of ₦10 million. Police said she confessed to fabricating the incident in an attempt to extort money.
In a related operation in Ubiaja, the Command recorded another breakthrough following a coordinated bush-combing exercise led by the Divisional Police Officer, Ubiaja.
ASP Ikoedem explained that the operation, conducted around Akwocha Camp and adjoining forest corridors in collaboration with the Nigerian Military and the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC), targeted a concealed forest enclave identified through drone-assisted air surveillance as a suspected kidnapping and logistics base.
“The operation resulted in the arrest of eleven male suspects believed to be members of an organised kidnapping syndicate,” she said.
Items recovered from the suspects included 24 Dane guns, 17 cutlasses, three battle axes, gun powder, torchlights, mobile phones, solar panels, assorted charms, one Daylong motorcycle, and ₦209,700 in cash, among other exhibits.
Reacting to the developments, CP Monday Agbonika warned members of the public against making false kidnapping reports and engaging in deceptive acts.
“Such actions waste critical security resources, divert attention from genuine emergencies, create unnecessary panic, and undermine public confidence,” the Commissioner cautioned, adding that anyone found culpable would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
He further reiterated the Command’s commitment to “technology-driven policing, aggressive forest domination, and intelligence-led operations to dismantle criminal networks across the state.”
The Edo State Police Command urged residents to continue supporting law enforcement with timely and credible information, providing the following contact lines: Emergency Control Room — 08077773721, 08037646272; Public Complaints Bureau — 08150999335; and Complaints Response Unit — 08100389992.
