Edo Police Uncover Fake Kidnap Plot, Smash Forest-Based Syndicate
The Edo State Police Command has uncovered a staged kidnapping involving an 18-year-old woman and dismantled a suspected kidnapping network operating from forest hideouts in the state, leading to multiple arrests and the recovery of arms and other items.
Police spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem, disclosed in a statement on Tuesday that the teenager, identified as Obehi Odine, was arrested after investigations revealed that she orchestrated her own abduction and demanded ₦10 million as ransom.
According to the statement, “A suspect, one Obehi Odine ‘F’, aged 18, was arrested for staging her own kidnap and demanding a ransom of ₦10 million. She has confessed to the crime, admitting that the incident was deliberately fabricated to extort money.”
In a separate but related security operation, police also apprehended 11 male suspects believed to be members of an organised kidnapping syndicate during a coordinated raid in Ubiaja.
Ikoedem explained that the operation followed intelligence-driven surveillance and involved collaboration between the police, the Nigerian Military and the Edo State Security Corps.
He said, “The Divisional Police Officer, Ubiaja, personally led a coordinated bush-combing operation around Akwocha Camp and adjoining forest corridors, in collaboration with the Nigerian Military and the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC).”
The police added that aerial intelligence from a drone unit identified a hidden forest settlement allegedly used as a logistics and operations base for kidnappers.
“A concealed forest enclave, identified by the drone squadron through intelligence generated from air surveillance as a suspected kidnapping and logistics base, was stormed. This resulted in the arrest of 11 male suspects believed to be members of an organised kidnapping syndicate,” the statement noted.
Items recovered during the raid included “24 dane guns, 17 cutlasses, three battle axes, gunpowder, torchlights, mobile phones, solar panels, assorted charms, one motorcycle, and ₦209,700 among other items.”
Reacting to the developments, the Commissioner of Police in Edo State, Monday Agbonika, cautioned residents against filing false kidnapping reports or engaging in deceptive acts that could strain security operations.
He warned that such conduct undermines public trust and disrupts emergency response, stressing that “Anyone caught will be prosecuted accordingly.”
Agbonika reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to sustained intelligence-led policing, enhanced use of technology and aggressive forest patrols to flush out criminal elements.
He also appealed to residents to support law enforcement with credible and timely information.
The arrests come amid heightened concerns over kidnapping in Edo North. Earlier reports indicated that gunmen suspected to be kidnappers demanded ₦100 million for the release of eight Imoga indigenes abducted last Friday night.
The Okpahi of Imoga Kingdom, Oba Patrick Obajoye, confirmed the abduction in a telephone conversation on Monday, stating that the victims were taken from Star Boy Hotel along the Imoga–Ibillo Road.
According to the monarch, the victims had travelled to Ibillo for a function and chose to stay overnight at the hotel, which he said is owned by an indigene of Imoga.
He added that the attackers reportedly arrived wearing army uniforms, brought drinks and posed as guests waiting for someone before carrying out the abduction.
