Operatives of Edo State Police Command have arrested 65 individuals suspected of being involved in kidnapping activities following a late-night operation in Aviele, a community in Etsako West Local Government Area of the state.
Gatekeepers News reports that the arrests were made during a coordinated raid carried out in the early hours of March 2. According to the police, tactical teams stormed several locations in the area after intelligence reports indicated that suspected kidnappers were operating from the neighbourhood.
Eno Ikoedem, spokesperson of the Edo State Police Command, disclosed in a statement on Friday that the operation began at about 2:45 a.m. after investigators traced ransom negotiation activities to specific properties within the community.
“Acting on credible intelligence that suspected kidnappers were sighted at a Zango and Max Square Properties in Aviele, and further technical analysis linking ransom negotiation activities to the area, tactical teams from the State Headquarters in collaboration with operatives under Area Command Auchi and Area Command Ekpoma stormed the identified hideouts,” the statement reads.
During the raid, officers recovered N1,850,000 suspected to be proceeds from ransom payments. Police also seized several items believed to have been used by the criminal group, including Nigerian Army uniforms, military gear, and other materials considered incriminating.
Authorities said the coordinated operation was carried out without any casualties. The suspects were subsequently transported to the state police headquarters in Benin City, where investigators are currently interrogating them to determine their roles in kidnapping operations and to uncover possible accomplices.
Kidnapping for ransom has remained a major security concern in several parts of Edo State, particularly along highways and in rural communities, prompting repeated security crackdowns by law enforcement agencies.
Reacting to the arrests, the commissioner of police in the state, Monday Agbonika, commended the officers involved in the operation for what he described as a professional and effective response to intelligence reports.
He reaffirmed the command’s determination to dismantle kidnapping networks across the state and urged residents to continue supporting security agencies by providing useful information that could help prevent criminal activities.
