The Edo State Police Command has arrested 13 suspected kidnappers and rescued 9 kidnapped victims across the state in the month of August.

CP Patrick Daaor, Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, disclosed this on Thursday during the Command’s August end-of-month press conference in Benin City.

According to CP Daaor, the command also made other arrests in August including:

– 14 suspects in connection with armed robbery and other violent crimes

– 19 suspected cultists

– 6 suspected human traffickers

– 5 suspects linked to store breaking and stealing

– 12 suspects in connection with sexual and gender-based violence, several of whom have been arraigned in court

He added that 8 vehicles were also recovered in connection with suspected criminal activities.

Gang behind Jattu kidnapping busted

The commissioner identified the arrest of 5 suspected members of a kidnapping and banditry network operating along the Auchi-Okene axis as one of the command’s major breakthroughs.

He said the suspects were arrested in Niger State on August 30 following the abduction of a couple at Jattu, Etsako West LGA of Edo State on August 8.

Operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and Violent Crime Response Unit, acting on technical intelligence from the Technical Intelligence Unit, Abuja, arrested the 5 suspects.

Daaor said the suspects confessed to the Jattu kidnapping as well as several other kidnapping operations in Edo and Kogi states.

Following information from the suspects, police recovered 2 fabricated AK-47 rifles, 1 pump-action rifle, 6 magazines and 200 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition from the Okpella forest.

Efforts are ongoing to apprehend other members of the gang.

CP Daaor assured residents that the command would sustain intelligence-led operations against kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, human trafficking, sexual and gender-based violence and other forms of criminality.

He urged members of the public to provide credible and timely information, stressing that community partnership remains vital to tackling crime.

The commissioner also commended officers, sister security agencies, hunters, forest guards and community partners for their support in the fight against crime.