The Edo State Police Command has apprehended 113 suspected kidnappers in Edo North and Edo Central, the Command announced on Thursday.
According to Police Public Relations Officer Eno Ikoedem, the arrests followed an intelligence-driven operation led personally by Commissioner of Police Monday Agbonika in the early hours of Thursday.
The coordinated sweep targeted zango settlements in Agbede and Iruekpen, locations identified as hubs for collecting ransom proceeds and regrouping by suspected kidnappers. A joint task force comprising the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, vigilante groups, and local hunters carried out the enforcement action.
“All suspects are currently undergoing thorough profiling to ascertain their level of involvement,” the statement read, with those found culpable set to face the full weight of the law.
The CP reiterated that the command’s campaign against organised kidnapping would remain uncompromising, targeting both armed groups and their financial and human support networks across the state. Residents were urged to provide credible intelligence, which will be treated confidentially.
The arrests come days after gunmen killed a high-ranking palace chief, Chief Jimah Jacob Ogboi, in Iduah Kingdom, Esan West Local Government Area, and abducted two of his daughters. The attack also left his wife seriously injured.