The Edo State Special Security Squad (ESSC) has uncovered an armoury and several camps used by kidnappers in forests across the state.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, Fred Itua, the government said the discovery was made during a three-day bush-combing operation carried out from Tuesday to Thursday.
The exercise, which was coordinated under the direct supervision of the governor’s Chief Security Officer and Principal Security Officer, covered Ovia North-East, Esan North-East, Esan West, and Esan South-East Local Government Areas, with particular focus on the Benin–Akure Road corridor — the site of a recent abduction of New Edo Line passengers.
According to the statement, operatives recovered two locally made double-barrel guns and one live cartridge in adjoining communities, including Osa-Somba and Idunwingie in Ovia North-East Local Government Area.
The government noted that the discoveries point to an entrenched network of local armouries used by kidnappers in the region.
Head of the ESSC, Idemudia Noah, said drones, military personnel, and advanced surveillance tools were deployed in the operation.
“We received distress calls from Ugboha residents reporting kidnapping incidents and responded with massive combing of the forests. This administration is determined to make Edo too unsafe for criminals. The message is clear: criminals must leave the state or face decisive action,” Noah stated.
A member of the squad, Eribo Emwanta, disclosed that abandoned camps suspected to have been used by kidnappers were discovered in the Ugboha forest.
He added that the operations would be sustained, with Governor Okpebholo personally monitoring the team’s progress.
The intensified security operations follow a spate of violent incidents in the state.
Last Friday, gunmen killed eight Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps personnel attached to the BUA Cement Factory in Okpella, Etsako East Local Government Area. An expatriate, a Chinese national, was abducted in the attack, though four other hostages were rescued.
On the same day, passengers travelling in an Edo Line bus and a Toyota Corolla were abducted along the Benin-Auchi Road. Sixteen of the victims were later rescued by the police.
