Troops of the 4th Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Benin neutralised a suspected kidnapper who had been terrorising Auchi and its surrounding areas in Edo State.

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

These operations were carried out under Operation IGBO DANU 1 and  involved personnel from  the Nigerian Army School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers as well as local vigilantes who identified criminal hideouts in different parts of the state.

The four rescued victims, Stella Abbas, 29; Tina Ododa, 19; Razak Rashid, 27; and Mutanibi Khalifa, 16, were unharmed and later reunited with their families.

According to reports,  on March 3, 2026, during a night patrol at Warake Forest in Auchi, troops responded to gunshots coming from deep within the forest.

They swiftly approached the suspected criminals and engaged them in a gun duel, applying aggressive pursuit tactics with minimal firearms usage.

Sources revealed that due to the superior firepower of the troops, other gang members fled into the bush, leaving their captives behind.
Items reportedly recovered from the neutralised suspect included N650,000 in cash, mobile phones, footwear, and a power bank.

In a separate operation, troops, in collaboration with the Edo State Security Corps, raided a suspected kidnappers’ hideout in Ujemen, Esan West Local Council , where they arrested a 39-year-old suspect, named  Omogbegha Solomon.

Security operatives found a shrine in an abandoned room within the compound containing charms and photographs of various individuals.

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