Police arrest 113 suspected kidnappers in joint security sweep across Edo

The Edo State Police Command has arrested no fewer than 113 suspected kidnappers during a coordinated security sweep across strategic locations in the state.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the command’s spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem, disclosed that the arrests followed credible intelligence indicating that ransom proceeds from kidnapping operations were being discreetly received and coordinated at Zangos in Agbede and the Iruekpen area.

The early morning operation was led by the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, who coordinated a joint task force comprising operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), local vigilantes, and hunters.

According to the statement, “The precision raids yielded the arrest of a total of one hundred and thirteen (113) suspects. All suspects are currently undergoing thorough profiling to ascertain their level of involvement.”
It added that those found culpable would face the full weight of the law.

Agbonika stressed that the command’s crackdown on kidnapping networks in the state would remain “relentless and uncompromising.” He stated that security agencies would not only pursue armed elements operating in forests but would also intensify efforts to dismantle their financial and human support systems.

The commissioner urged residents to remain vigilant and provide timely, credible information to security agencies, assuring them that all intelligence received would be treated with strict confidentiality.

He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property, warning that there would be no hiding place for kidnappers or their collaborators in Edo State.

The arrests mark the latest development in the ongoing security operations against criminal elements in the state. Earlier, on February 4, troops of the Nigerian Army arrested 13 suspected kidnappers and drug peddlers during operations in Osara community, Etsako West Local Government Area, as well as Auchi and Okpella communities in Edo North Senatorial District.