Edo State Special Security Squad, codenamed ?Operation Flush Out Cultists and Kidnappers?, has dismantled five suspected kidnapper camps in Edo North Senatorial District following an extensive bush-combing operation in Ekeke Erah Forest, Owan East Local Government Area.

The operation, coordinated by the Principal Security Officer (PSO) to Governor Monday Okpebholo, was conducted in collaboration with the Nigerian Army, local vigilante groups, and other sister security agencies.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Fred Itua, on Saturday, said security operatives trekked nearly five kilometers deep into the forest, between Afuze and Ora, where the camps were uncovered and subsequently destroyed.

According to Eribo Ewanta, a member of the Squad who briefed after the six-hour exercise, signs of recent activity confirmed that the camps were still in active use.

?We discovered five camps, with clear indications that their occupants had only just fled. We found fire still burning and a pot of food left on the fire. This confirms the presence of suspected kidnappers in this area,? he said.

The team reported that the operation escalated into an exchange of gunfire at a riverbank, as suspected kidnappers, apparently alerted to the security incursion, attempted to evade capture. Evidence of cattle grazing in the forest further raised suspicion that the hideouts may have been linked to armed herdsmen.

?We engaged the suspects in a serious gun duel, but they escaped deeper into the forest. Nevertheless, we are on their trail. Their camps have been dismantled and destroyed. Edo State will no longer provide safe haven for criminal elements,? Ewanta declared.

He assured Edo residents that the operation marked only the beginning of sustained efforts to flush out kidnappers and other violent groups from the state.

?We are battle-ready. The directive of the Governor is clear: Edo must be free of criminal elements. We will pursue them relentlessly until they are apprehended.?

Ewanta further commended Governor Monday Okpebholo for his unwavering resolve to fortify security across the State, noting that the administration?s coordinated security strategy is restoring public confidence and sending an unmistakable message to criminal networks. (Channels TV)

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