Edo Police Arrest 71 Criminal Suspects, 13 Kidnappers, Rescue 9 Kidnap Victims

 

The Edo State Police Command has intensified its crackdown on criminal elements across the State, arresting 71 suspects, rescuing nine kidnapped victims and recovering eight vehicles during major operations in August 2026.
Commissioner of Police, CP Patrick Daaor, disclosed the figures on Tuesday at the Command’s end-of-the-month press conference in Benin City, declaring that Edo State will not become a safe haven for criminals.
According to the police chief, the Command arrested 13 suspected kidnappers, 14 suspects linked to armed robbery and violent crimes, 19 suspected cultists, six alleged human traffickers, five suspects over store breaking and stealing, and 12 suspects in connection with Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV). Several of the SGBV suspects, he said, had already been arraigned.

The Command also recovered eight vehicles believed to be connected with suspected criminal activities.

Daaor identified the arrest of five suspected members of a kidnapping and banditry syndicate operating along the Auchi/Okene axis as one of the Command’s major breakthroughs.

The suspects — Malam Jibril Ibrahim, Mohammed Abubakar, Tukur Adam, popularly known as Dogo, Musa Ibrahim and Iro Ibrahim — were arrested in Niger State on August 30 following sustained intelligence gathering by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and Violent Crime Response Unit, with support from the Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU), Abuja.

The suspects were linked to the August 8 abduction of Mohammed Tasiu Imokhe and his wife at Jattu in Etsako West, as well as other kidnapping operations in Edo and Kogi states.

Acting on intelligence obtained from the suspects, police operatives recovered two fabricated AK-47 rifles, one pump-action rifle, six magazines and 200 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition from the Okpella forest on September 1.

The police said efforts were ongoing to apprehend other members of the network.
In another operation, police operatives working with the Edo State Security Corps rescued Aboi Otu, who was abducted at Afowa on August 24.

The rescue followed a coordinated operation in which security operatives traced the kidnappers as they attempted to move their hostage across the Auchi–Okpella Expressway. Confronted by superior firepower, the suspects abandoned the victim and escaped into the bush.

Similarly, two suspected kidnappers, Ibrahim Suleiman and Ayuba Haruna, were arrested by Igarra Division operatives working with the Nigerian Army. One of the suspects was reportedly identified by a previously released kidnap victim.

Police also arrested a suspected kidnapper, Maniru Mukaila, who was allegedly involved in previous kidnapping operations and sustained a gunshot wound during an earlier security operation.

The Command’s operations also recorded significant arrests in the fight against cultism and violent crime.

At Idumu Eko, Ekpon, five suspected cultists were arrested during a joint police and Edo State Security Corps clearance operation. Police recovered locally made firearms and ammunition, while the suspects allegedly confessed to cult activities, burglary and robbery.

In another operation at Ologbo, nine suspects were arrested after allegedly being sighted inside Ossiomo Company premises with firearms. Police recovered a pump-action gun, nine live cartridges, cutlasses and sledgehammers.

The Command also arrested a suspected human trafficker, Chinennye Obasi, 45, who allegedly trafficked her 16-year-old ward from Benin City to Ghana. The teenager reportedly escaped and was later found at Ogbese, Ondo State.
The Commissioner warned criminals operating in Edo that the Command would sustain its offensive as the Ember months begin.

“Edo State is not a safe haven for criminals,” Daaor declared.

He said the Command would maintain a proactive, intelligence-led and collaborative policing strategy, working with the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, NSCDC, Edo State Security Corps, hunters, forest guards and other security stakeholders.

He specifically warned kidnappers, armed robbers, cultists, traffickers and other criminal elements that security forces would pursue them wherever they hide.

Daaor also urged residents to provide the police with credible and timely information, stressing that community cooperation remains critical to defeating criminal networks.