Joint security forces arrest 13 suspects in Edo North raids, recover weapons, drugs

Troops from the Nigerian Army’s 4 Brigade have conducted operations targeting kidnappers’ hideouts in Edo North Senatorial District, leading to the arrest of 13 suspects. The raids, executed under Operation Igbo Danu 1 on February 4, saw army personnel collaborate with the Nigerian Air Force, Edo State Police Command, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Edo State Security Corps.

The clearance exercise focused on the Osara community in Etsako West Local Government Area, as well as Auchi and Okpella. In this action, eight individuals suspected of kidnapping and illicit drug peddling were apprehended. Recovered items include one English pump-action gun, four live cartridges, a locally made pistol, a point-of-sale machine, two cutlasses, a Nikon digital camera, two Android phones, a metal hook, five bottles of codeine syrup, two weighing scales, quantities of substances suspected to be cannabis, tramadol, ice, loud, and colos, alongside ₦87,550 in cash.

In a related operation, troops and police combed the Aviele forest in Etsako West, arresting five additional suspected kidnappers. From them, two motorcycles, two Android phones, and a power bank were seized.

All suspects and recovered items have been handed over to the Edo State Police Command for further investigation and prosecution. Commander of 4 Brigade, Brigadier-General Ahmed Balogun, issued a warning that Edo State will be made “untenable for terrorists, kidnappers and other criminal elements.” He reaffirmed the brigade’s commitment to protecting lives and property and commended the inter-agency collaboration.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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