FIC Report (Edo State) – Following earlier reports of kidnapping incidents in communities within the Edo Central Senatorial District, the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, CP Monday Agbonika, fdc, earlier this year personally led a strategic operational deployment to the area to strengthen security operations.
The Commissioner of Police spent six days in Edo Central, from 16th to 22nd February 2026, conducting on-the-spot security assessments, reviewing operational strategies and repositioning personnel to enhance policing effectiveness. During the exercise, forests around Ubiaja were identified as critical security flashpoints and were subsequently placed under intensified surveillance and operational focus.
Since the strategic deployment and operational restructuring, the Ubiaja Division, under the supervision of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), has recorded notable successes in the fight against kidnapping and other violent crimes.
One of such breakthroughs occurred on 17th February 2026 at about 1800hrs, when operatives of the Ubiaja Division, acting on credible technical intelligence, arrested a suspected kidnapper identified as Suleman Haruna, male, 28, a national of the Republic of Niger resident in Kaba, Kogi State. The suspect, who had earlier been placed on the Command’s wanted list, was apprehended during a targeted security operation in the area.
During interrogation, members of the Hausa/Fulani community were invited for identification, and the suspect was confirmed to be a member of a notorious kidnapping gang alongside another accomplice. He has since made useful confessions and is assisting the police with ongoing investigations.
Similarly, on 20th February 2026 at about 1750hrs, another suspect, Ibrahim Kodo, male, 25, of Illushi Community, was tracked down and arrested in a joint operation involving operatives of the Edo State Police Command and personnel of the Nigerian Army. The suspect was positively identified by a kidnap victim as one of the three armed men who abducted him from his farm on 2nd June 2025 at about 1000hrs.
In another development, on 26th February 2026 at about 0900hrs, police operatives arrested another suspected kidnapper identified as Orsee Iorzaa, male, 32, of Omi Camp in Illushi, following sustained surveillance based on actionable intelligence. A kidnap victim identified the suspect as a member of a five-man gang that invaded his residence with firearms and abducted him on 21st February 2026. Investigation is ongoing to recover the gang’s weapons and apprehend other members of the criminal syndicate.
In a more recent operation on 7th March 2026 at about 0825hrs, police operatives, in collaboration with members of the Edo State Security Corps, carried out a bush-combing operation in the Onogholọ and Akwocha forests. During the operation, four suspected kidnappers opened fire on the advancing security team but were overpowered by the superior firepower of the operatives. One suspect was neutralized in the ensuing gun duel, while three others escaped into the forest with gunshot wounds.
Items recovered from the scene include one single-barrel shotgun, one black facial mask, two live cartridges and two expended cartridges. Bush-combing operations are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, fdc, commended the Divisional Police Officer, Ubiaja Division, and his team for their resilience, professionalism and sustained operational efforts that have led to these significant achievements.
The Command also calls on residents to continue cooperating with the police by providing credible and timely information that will support ongoing efforts to rid the area and the state at large of criminal elements.
Members of the public can reach the Command through the following channels:
Emergency Control Room Numbers:
08077773721
08037646272
Public Complaints:
Public Complaints Bureau (PCB) – 08150999335
Complaints Response Unit (CRU) – 08100389992
Daniel Ejodamen
Federal Information Centre, Benin City
Edo State
8th March, 2026
