Security operatives have arrested 113 suspected kidnappers in the Agbede and Iruekpen areas of Edo State.
The suspected kidnappers were arrested during an operation carried out by the operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), vigilante groups, and local hunters in the early hours of Thursday, February 26, 2026.
The Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikoedem, in a statement, disclosed that the intelligence-driven operation carried out at about 3:00 a.m. on Thursday was led by the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika.
Ikoedem said the coordinated raids on the identified zango settlements in Agbede and Iruekpen were carried out, where actionable intelligence showed that suspected kidnappers and their collaborators converged to receive ransom payments, regroup, and blend with unsuspecting members of the public.
Ikoedem stated: “The precision raids yielded the arrest of a total of 113 suspects. All suspects are currently undergoing thorough profiling to ascertain their level of involvement.
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“Those found culpable will be made to face the full weight of the law.”
He quoted Agbonika as reiterating that the command’s onslaught against kidnapping organised networks will remain relentless and uncompromising, adding that the police will not only target criminals in the forests but will equally intensify efforts to degrade their financial and human support systems across Edo State.
The police commissioner further urged residents to remain vigilant and continue to provide timely and credible information to security agencies, assuring that all intelligence received will be treated with confidentiality.
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