Crime Report

An alleged leader of a notorious inter-state kidnapping syndicate has revealed that his gang does not rely on informants to identify victims, but instead targets residents who appear wealthy, drive flashy cars and live in expensive houses. The 22-year-old suspect, identified by the police as Amendu Suleiman from Niger State, said gang members usually move around communities, identify seemingly affluent …

Suspected robbers raided the residence of Edo State Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Hon. Kennedy Odion in Benin City early Sunday, escaping with two Toyota Highlander SUVs, N500,000 cash, four mobile phones and other valuables. It was gathered that the hoodlums stormed the residence, off Winners Road, Uhie, Benin, at about 3:00 a.m., before fleeing with the stolen …

  Conflict, displacement and economic hardship in Benue State have created conditions that traffickers exploit to traffic children and women. From where she sat under a mango tree beside two huts and an old three-bedroom bungalow, Hembadoon Tervershima watched a motorcycle turn onto the narrow footpath that ended in the compound. Since the disappearance of her daughter in May 2024, …

Habila was buried quietly on Friday, August 21, 2026, nearly two months after her death and amid an unresolved dispute over whether her remains should undergo an autopsy. Mary Habila, the 26-year-old woman whose death at the Ebonyi State residence of Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, sparked controversy and demands for an independent forensic investigation, has been buried in …

Three Beretta pistols concealed in a sack of unripe plantains have been recovered by operatives of the Edo State Police Command at a motor park in Benin City. CP Patrick Daaor of Edo State said the sack was abandoned at Flight Transport Services, Akpakpava, on August 5, 2026, after an unidentified man presented it for waybill to Benue State. According …

Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have arrested a man, Chigozie Anthony, for allegedly luring a girl he met on TikTok to his residence and demanding N. 1m ransom from her parents. Chigozie was among 15 suspected criminals paraded before journalists by the Command spokesperson, ASP Eno Ikoedem, during the maiden press briefing of the Commissioner of Police, CP …

A member of a  gang of kidnappers has been killed after the gang walked into an ambush by a joint security team while attempting to collect a N1.5m ransom, according to Edo State Police Command The police also said a gun battle ensued, forcing two other suspects to flee into the forest with suspected gunshot wounds, while their victim was …

Nevertheless, dismantling criminal networks requires more than arrests. Successful prosecution, transparent investigations and sustained intelligence gathering will ultimately determine whether these operations produce lasting results or temporary headlines. For the Nigeria Police Force, prosecuting officers accused of betraying their oath would sends a powerful message that no uniform confers immunity from the law. Institutional integrity is strengthened when discipline is …

Fourteen victims of kidnapping have regained their freedom after soldiers launched a fierce pursuit that forced their abductors to abandon 11 of them and flee into the Edo forest. The remaining three victims were later rescued after troops intensified a clearance operation in the forest, bringing to 14 the number of victims rescued by the Nigerian Army. The operation, conducted …

Edo State Police Command said it has dismissed five police officers over their alleged involvement in a criminal syndicate accused of abducting and extorting unsuspecting members of the public in Benin City. The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikoedem, disclosed this during a press briefing, stating that the syndicate operated around the Teboga axis, off Aduwawa, where victims were …