The Edo State Special Security Squad has uncovered an armoury and camps in the forest used by kidnappers to carry out their nefarious activities.

The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, Fred Itua, in a statement on Thursday, said the discovery was made during the bush combing exercise carried out by the outfit from Tuesday to Thursday.

Last Friday, gunmen suspected to be kidnappers killed eight personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps attached to the BUA Cement Factory located in Okpella, Etsako East Local Government Area of the state.

An expatriate, a Chinese national, was also kidnapped while four of his compatriots were rescued from their abductors. Four people were also injured and are currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

Also, passengers in an Edo Line bus and a Toyota Corolla car were abducted along Benin-Auchi Road on the same day, but 16 of them were later rescued by the police.

According to Itua, the coordinated exercise was carried out under the direct supervision of the governor’s Chief Security Officer and Principal Security Officer.

He noted that the operation covered Ovia North-East, Esan North-East, Esan West, and Esan South-East Local Government Areas of the State.

Itua noted that particular attention was paid to the Benin–Akure Road corridor, where passengers of the New Edo Line were recently kidnapped.

He added, “During the bush combing, operatives recovered two locally made double-barrel guns and one live cartridge in adjoining communities, including Osa-Somba and Idunwingie in Ovia North-East. Officials noted that the discoveries point to the entrenched use of local armoury by kidnappers operating in the region.”

Head of the ESSC, Idemudia Noah, stressed that the team is deploying drones, military personnel, and advanced surveillance in its relentless pursuit of kidnappers.

He added, “We received distress calls from Ugboha people reporting kidnapping incidents, and we responded with massive combing of the forests. This administration is determined to ensure Edo is too unsafe for criminals. The message is clear: criminals must leave the state or face decisive action,” Noah declared.

A member of the squad, Eribo Emwanta, disclosed that in Ugboha forest, operatives discovered abandoned camps suspected to have been used as kidnapping hideouts. He said that the exercise would remain continuous, with Governor Okpebholo personally monitoring the team’s activities.

The Okhighele of Eko-Ekpeti, Osaro Ehiozomwangie, and a resident, Ighodaro Michael, commended Governor Okpebholo for deploying the squad, noting that kidnapping had become rampant along the route and that local hunters had long been overstretched.

They described the intervention as a relief, stressing the need for further government support in logistics and mobility to help communities complement the ongoing operations.

PUNCH Online also gathered that apart from the bush-combing, the Squad also embarked on a show-of-force exercise across Sobe, Ozalla, Iruekpen, Ekpoma, Ihunmudumu, Eguare, Irrua, Idumu Ojiezua, Ivue/Obeidu, Eror, Arue-Uromi, Egbele, Amedokhian-Uromi, Ugboha, and several other communities.

ESSC officials also explained that the operation was intended to reassure residents of the government’s commitment to safety and to send a strong warning to criminal networks.

The multi-agency effort, which included the army, police, and local security operatives, saw personnel trek for hours deep into the forests in search of criminal hideouts.

While no arrests have been made so far, the security personnel are seriously on the trail of kidnappers as a preventive strike to dismantle potential bases of kidnappers. (The PUNCH)

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