Troops of the Nigerian Army 4 Brigade in Benin have neutralised a suspected notorious kidnapper terrorising Auchi and surrounding communities in Edo State.

The troops, working in collaboration with the Edo State Security Corps, also rescued four abducted victims and arrested another suspect in separate security operations across the state.

The operations were conducted under Operation IGBO DANU 1, involving personnel of the Nigerian Army School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and local vigilantes who combed identified criminal hideouts in parts of the state.

The rescued victims were identified as Stella Abbas, 29; Tina Ododa, 19; Razak Rashid, 27; and Mutanibi Kalifa, 16. They were reportedly unharmed and have since been reunited with their families.

Sources disclosed that during a night patrol on March 3, 2026, at Warake Forest in Auchi, troops responded to gunshots heard deep within the forest and quickly advanced toward the suspected criminals.

Security operatives engaged the hoodlums in a gun duel and pursued them aggressively, forcing the gang members to flee into the bush due to the troops’ superior firepower. The kidnappers reportedly abandoned their captives while escaping.

Items recovered from the neutralised suspect included ₦650,000 in cash, mobile phones, footwear, and a power bank.

In a separate operation, troops, alongside the Edo State Security Corps, raided a suspected kidnappers’ hideout in Ujemen, Esan West Local Government Area, where a 39-year-old suspect, Omogbegha Solomon, was arrested.

Security operatives also discovered a shrine in an abandoned room within the compound containing charms and photographs of several individuals.

The shrine was destroyed on the spot, while the suspect was handed over to the Nigeria Police Force, Ekpoma Division, for further investigation and possible prosecution.