EIGHT SUSPECTED KIDNAPPERS CAUGHT WITH WEAPONS AND DRUGS IN EDO BY JOINT SECURITY FORCES

By; Muftau Fatimo
At least eight suspected kidnappers and drug traffickers have been arrested by troops of the 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, in Benin City, Edo State.
The operation, codenamed IGBO DANU 1, was conducted in collaboration with the Edo State Police Command, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the State Security Service (ESSC).
The Media reports that Captain Kennedy Anyanwu, Assistant Director of Army Public Relations for the Brigade, confirmed the arrests in a statement made available to journalists in Benin City.
Captain Anyanwu stated that the operation, carried out on February 4, 2026, aimed to neutralize and apprehend terrorists and kidnappers and to rescue victims in Osara Community (Etsako West LGA) as well as Auchi and Okpella Communities, all located in Edo North Senatorial District.
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He identified the arrested suspects as Jamilu Mohammad, Kasim Abu, Braimoh Affeez, Sulaiman Hamisu, Lawan Umaru, Bawa Auwal, Musa Umaru, and Amodu Attai.
Items recovered from the suspects included one English auto pump-action gun, four live cartridges, and one locally made pistol. Other items seized were a Point-of-Sale (POS) machine, two cutlasses, a Nikon digital camera, two Android phones, a metal hook, five bottles of codeine syrup, two Indian hemp weighing scales, and various substances suspected to be cannabis sativa, tramadol, ice, loud, and colos.
Additionally, ₦87,550 was recovered from the suspects.
Captain Anyanwu confirmed that both the suspects and the recovered items have been handed over to the Edo State Police Command for further investigation.
Meanwhile, Brigadier General Ahmed Balogun, Commander of 4 Brigade and leader of the operation, commended the prompt response and effective collaboration among the security agencies involved.
Balogun, however, warned that Edo State would no longer be a safe haven for terrorists, kidnappers, and other criminal elements seeking to carry out unlawful activities.
He also reiterated the Brigade’s commitment to protecting lives and property across the state, while expressing gratitude to the General Officer Commanding 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Chinedu Nnebeife, for his strategic guidance and support.
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