It was a black Sunday for suspected kidnappers in Edo State as a joint security team rescued an abducted victim and killed three suspected members of the gang during a forest raid in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area.
The dramatic operation, conducted at about 2am on Sunday, October 11, 2026, followed credible intelligence on the whereabouts of the victim, identified as Michael Akano, who was abducted on October 9, 2026.
The Edo State Police Command spokesperson, ASP Eno Ikoedem, disclosed that the joint team stormed the Geo Works bushes bordering Otuo in Igarra, where the victim was being held.
She said the operation involved police operatives from Igarra Division, personnel of the Nigerian Army’s 195 Battalion, the Department of State Services (DSS), local hunters and members of the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC).
According to ASP Ikoedem, the victim was rescued and taken to a hospital for medical attention.
Items recovered during the operation included three locally fabricated single-barrel shotguns, eight live cartridges, five expended cartridges, two cutlasses and five mobile phones of different brands.
The police spokesperson added that the bodies of the three neutralised suspects had been deposited at a hospital mortuary in Igarra for autopsy.
She said a bush-combing operation was ongoing to track down and arrest fleeing suspects believed to have sustained gunshot wounds during the encounter.
She added that the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, CP Patrick Daaor, commended the joint security team for its swift response, effective collaboration and courage.
CP Daaor reiterated the command’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-led operations and denying criminal elements safe havens across the state.
He urged residents to provide timely and credible information to security agencies, assuring them that actionable intelligence would receive prompt attention.
