The Edo State Police Command has arrested three suspected kidnappers, including a citizen of the Niger Republic, while another was killed during separate security operations across the state.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Eno Ikoedem, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, explaining that the deceased suspect was neutralised after a four-man gang engaged security operatives in a gun battle.

She noted that three other members of the gang managed to escape from the scene, but police operatives have launched a manhunt for them. Arms were also recovered from the gang’s hideout located in a forest.

According to the statement, the operations followed reports of rising kidnapping incidents in several communities within the Edo Central Senatorial District.

Earlier, the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, led a strategic security deployment to the area, spending six days between February 16 and 22, 2026, assessing the security situation and repositioning officers to strengthen policing in the district.

During the exercise, forests around Ubiaja were identified as key security flashpoints and subsequently placed under intensified surveillance.

Following the deployment, the Ubiaja Police Division, under the supervision of its Divisional Police Officer, recorded several breakthroughs in efforts to curb kidnapping and other violent crimes.

One such breakthrough occurred on February 17, 2026, at about 6:00 p.m., when police operatives arrested a suspected kidnapper, Suleman Harruna, a 28-year-old citizen of the Niger Republic residing in Kaba, Kogi State.

Ikoedem said the suspect had previously been declared wanted by the command and was identified by members of the Hausa/Fulani community as part of a notorious kidnapping syndicate.

“The suspect made useful confessions and has been assisting the police with ongoing investigations,” she said.

In another operation on February 20, 2026, at about 5:50 p.m., operatives arrested another suspect, Ibrahim Kodo, 25, from Illushi, Edo State, in collaboration with personnel of the Nigerian Army.

The police spokesperson said the suspect was identified by a kidnapping victim as one of three armed men who abducted him from his farm on June 2, 2025.

Similarly, on February 26, 2026, at about 9:00 a.m., another suspected kidnapper, Orsee Iorzaa, 32, of Omi Camp in Illushi, Edo State, was apprehended through surveillance based on intelligence.

A victim reportedly identified him as one of five armed men who invaded his home and abducted him on February 21, 2026. Police said investigations are ongoing to recover weapons used by the gang and track down other members.

In a more recent development on March 7, 2026, at about 8:25 a.m., police operatives working with members of the Edo State Security Corps conducted a bush-combing operation in the Onogholọ and Akwocha forests in Edo State.

During the operation, four suspected kidnappers reportedly opened fire on the security team but were subdued by the operatives’ superior firepower. One suspect was killed in the gunfight, while three others fled into the forest with gunshot wounds.

Items recovered from the scene included a single-barrelled shotgun, a black face mask, two live cartridges, and two expended cartridges. Police said bush-combing operations are ongoing to track down the fleeing suspects.

In a separate operation earlier in the state, the Edo State Police Command also arrested 65 suspected kidnappers during a raid in Aviele, Etsako West Local Government Area.

The raid, carried out on March 2 at about 2:45 a.m., led to the recovery of N1.85 million suspected to be ransom proceeds, along with Nigerian Army uniforms and other incriminating items after intelligence linked the area to kidnapping activities.