Troops of 4 Brigade, under 2 Division Nigerian Army, in collaboration with other security agencies and the Edo State Security Corps, have arrested 12 suspected kidnappers during coordinated clearance operations across Owan East, Esan North-East and Esan South-East Local Government Areas of Edo State.
The operations, conducted under the code name Operation KO SALO from 12 May 2026, targeted identified criminal hideouts in forests and settlements linked to kidnapping activities.
According to a statement by Captain Kennedy Anyanwu, Assistant Director Army Public Relations, troops cleared Ugbovbighan Village, Olelo Forest, Egoro Amede Village and carried out cordon-and-search operations at Rugan Fulani settlement, leading to the arrest of three suspects identified as Ishaya Obadis, Markus Ballu and Godknows Owonoji.
Items recovered from the suspects included two motorcycles and two mobile phones. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly served as collaborators and logistics suppliers to kidnappers. They were subsequently handed over to the Ekpoma Police Division for further investigation.
In a related operation, troops cleared Ekeke Forest, Ishiolili Village and Camp Sule Rugan Fulani in Owan East LGA, where two additional suspects, Bala Mahmood and Ibrahim Abdullahi, were arrested. Dangerous weapons and a Tecno mobile phone were recovered from them.
Troops also conducted clearance operations in Uwarlor-Oke Forest in Esan North-East LGA and Udo Government Reserve Forest in Esan South-East LGA, resulting in the arrest of seven suspected kidnappers identified as Isah Shehu, Hamadu Safiyanu, Tijani Shehu, Yahaya Babangida, Usman Hamza, Abduladi Saleh and Gadafi Tukur.
Recovered items included one motorcycle and two itel mobile phones, while the suspects were handed over to the Amendokhian Police Division for further action.
Additionally, troops alongside personnel of the Nigeria Police Force and local vigilantes carried out operations at Emu Forest in Esan South-East LGA, where a locally made long-barrel gun and a motorcycle were recovered from Otobo Camp and Nnamdo Camp.
Commander of 4 Brigade Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Ahmed Balogun, commended the troops for their professionalism and urged them to sustain pressure on criminal elements across Edo State.
He reassured residents of the Brigade’s commitment to protecting lives and property through sustained offensive operations against kidnapping networks and called on the public to continue providing credible information to security agencies.
