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The operation, carried out under Operation IGBO DANU 1, took place on March 3, 2026, in the dense Warake Forest, Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.
According to Captain Kennedy Anyanwu, Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 4 Brigade Nigerian Army, Benin City, the troops, working with the Edo State Security Corps, personnel of the Nigerian Army School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and local vigilantes, swung into action after hearing gunshots during a night patrol.
In the ensuing exchange, the suspected gang leader said to have been terrorizing Auchi and surrounding communities, was neutralized, while other members of the syndicate fled into the bush under pressure from the advancing troops.
Four victims, Stella Abbas, 29, Tina Ododa, 19, Razak Rashid, 27, and Mutanibi Kalifa, 16, were rescued unhurt and later reunited with their families.
Security operatives recovered N650,000 in cash, mobile phones, a power bank and footwear from the scene.
In a separate but related crackdown the same day, troops raided a suspected kidnapper’s hideout in Ujemen, Esan West Local Government Area, arresting a 39-year-old suspect identified as Omogbegha Solomon.
During the raid, a shrine containing charms and photographs of various individuals was discovered in an abandoned room within the compound and destroyed on the spot.
Anyanwu said the suspect had been handed over to the police in Ekpoma for further investigation.
The Commander, 4 Brigade, Brig.-Gen. Ahmed Balogun, commended the troops for what he described as their courage and operational efficiency, urging them to sustain the momentum in the ongoing fight against criminal elements in the state.
