Troops of the 4 Brigade under the 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, in collaboration with the Edo State Security Corps, have neutralised a notorious kidnapper, rescued four abducted victims and arrested another suspect during separate operations in Edo State.
The operation, conducted under Operation IGBO DANU 1, took place on March 3, 2026, in Warake Forest, Auchi Local Government Area.
According to the Army, the troops, working alongside personnel from the Nigerian Army School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and local vigilantes, responded to gunshots heard during a night patrol in the forest.
During the operation, the troops engaged the criminals and neutralised a suspected notorious kidnapper believed to have been terrorising Auchi and its surrounding communities. The troops’ superior firepower forced the remaining kidnappers to flee into the bush, abandoning their victims.
Four kidnapped victims — Stella Abbas (29), Tina Ododa (19), Razak Rashid (27), and Mutanibi Kalifa (16) — were rescued unhurt and later reunited with their families.
Items recovered from the neutralised suspect included cash amounting to N650,000, footwear, a power bank and mobile phones.
In a separate operation on the same day, troops in collaboration with the Edo State Security Corps raided a house in Ujemen, Esan West Local Government Area suspected to be a kidnapper’s hideout.
During the raid, a 39-year-old suspect identified as Omogbegha Solomon was arrested. Troops also discovered a shrine containing charms and photographs of several individuals in an abandoned room within the compound. The shrine was destroyed on the spot.
The suspect has since been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force, Ekpoma Division, for further investigation.
The Commander of 4 Brigade, Brigadier General Ahmed Balogun, commended the troops for their professionalism and bravery during the operations. He urged them to sustain the ongoing offensive against criminal elements in line with the directive of the General Officer Commanding 2 Division, Major General Chinedu Nnebeife.
Balogun also reassured residents of Edo State of the brigade’s continued commitment to protecting lives and property across the state.
The statement was issued on Wednesday by Captain Kennedy Anyanwu, Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 4 Brigade Nigerian Army, Benin City.
