By Olakunle Oke
The Edo State Police Command, in collaboration with other security agencies, has arrested six suspected kidnappers during a daring overnight operation deep inside Agbede Forest in Etsako East Local Government Area of the state.
The raid, carried out in the early hours, followed actionable intelligence provided by a rescued kidnapping victim who identified the forest camp where he had been held.
Acting on the information, the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, CP Monday Agbonika, personally led a joint task force comprising operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Edo State Security Corps (ESSC), and local hunters into the forest.
Security sources said the team travelled for about three hours to the last motorable point before trekking for nearly two additional hours through dense forest terrain and crossing three wooden bridges to reach the suspected hideout.
At about 3:45 a.m., the operatives successfully surrounded the camp, cutting off escape routes before conducting a thorough sweep that led to the arrest of six suspects.
Those arrested were identified as Mikel Gendaga, 41, from Benue State; Yusuf Abubakar, 34, from Kano State; Isyaka Abraham, 30, from Kogi State; Isyaka Abubakar, 37, from Kano State; Mohammed Sumo, 20, from Kano State; and Mohammed Abubakar, 25, also from Kano State.
The suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Benin City, where they are undergoing interrogation ahead of prosecution.
Commending the operatives for their courage and seamless inter-agency collaboration, CP Agbonika said the operation sends a strong warning to criminal elements that Edo forests will no longer serve as safe havens.
He reaffirmed the command’s resolve to take the fight against organised crime to remote locations and urged residents to continue supporting security agencies with timely and credible information.
The Police assured the public that intelligence-led operations would remain central to efforts aimed at protecting lives and property across Edo State.