Troops of 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, in collaboration with personnel of the Nigerian Air Force, Edo State Police Command, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Edo State Security Corps, have conducted a clearance operation, codenamed Operation IGBO DANU 1 to neutralise, flush out terrorists, kidnappers and rescue victims at Osara Community in Etsako West Local Government Area as well as Auchi and Okpella Communities in Edo North Senatorial District of the State.
A statement signed by the Assistant Director Army Public Relations, 4 Brigade Nigerian Army, Captain Kennedy Anyanwu, revealed that during the operation, eight suspected kidnappers and illicit drug peddlers were arrested.
The suspects were identified as Jamilu Mohammad (25), Kasim Abu (33), Braimoh Affeez (31), Sulaiman Hamisu (36), Lawan Umaru (25), Bawa Auwal (24), Musa Umaru (40), and Amodu Attai (50).
Weapons recovered from them include one English Auto Pump-action gun, four live cartridges, and one locally made pistol.
Other items seized were a Point-of-Sale (POS) machine, two cutlasses, a Nikon digital camera, two Android phones, a metal hook, five bottles of codeine syrup, two Indian hemp weighing scales, and quantities of substances suspected to be cannabis sativa, tramadol, ice, loud and colos.
The sum of ₦87,550 was also recovered.The suspects and recovered items have been handed over to the Edo State Police Command for further investigation.
In a related development, troops of 4 Brigade, in conjunction with the Edo State Police Command also combed the Aviele Forest in Etsako West Local Government Area aimed at flushing out suspected terrorists and kidnappers.
During the raid, five suspected kidnappers, Isiaka Abubakar (37), Mohammad Abubakar (25), Yusuf Abubakar (24), Mohammed Somu (20), and Isiaka Ibrahim (30) were arrested. Items recovered from them include two motorcycles, two Android phones, and a power bank.The suspects and recovered items were also handed over to the police for further investigation.
The Commander 4 Brigade, Brigadier General Ahmed Balogun, who led the operations, commended the swift response and collaboration among the security agencies and warned that the State will be untenable for terrorists, kidnappers and other criminal elements to carry out their nefarious activities.
He also reaffirmed the Brigade’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property in the state.
(Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie)
