Police Arrest 175 Suspected Kidnappers, Robbers, Cultists In Edo

The Edo State Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, on Monday, disclosed that operatives of the Command arrested 175 suspects for various offences between April and July 20.

Speaking at a conference at the Command’s headquarters in Benin, Edo State capital, the CP said 124 of the suspects were arrested for cultism, 40 for kidnapping while 11 were apprehended for armed robbery and other violent crimes.

CP Agbonika stated that 46 of the suspects were apprehended with firearms, dangerous weapons and cult paraphernalia.

He said that arrests were made through coordinated intelligence-driven operations, community support, and inter-agency collaboration, stressing that the Command has made significant strides in tackling criminal elements across the state.

Agbonika said 45 assorted firearms, including AK-47 rifles, pump-action guns, locally-made pistols, and cut-to-size guns as well as 163 rounds of live ammunition, five empty magazines were recovered in various parts of the state.

He also said that 62 kidnapped victims were rescued from their abductors, with 14 of them passengers of an ill-fated bus.

The CP further added that a 12-year-old girl was killed by the kidnappers while one of the passengers remains unaccounted for, assuring that efforts were ongoing to locate the missing individual.

He said, “In various operations, 40 suspected kidnappers were arrested. Eleven (11) other suspects were arrested for armed robbery and other violent crimes.”

Agbonika however noted that cultism remains a major concern in parts of Edo State.

He however maintained that the Command has intensified its efforts through the ongoing house-to-house search of cultists, and has so far arrested 124 suspected cultists, many of whom he said have confessed to belonging to proscribed confraternities such as the Maphites, Ayes, NBM, Jurists Confraternity and Eiye.

He further explained that, “Forty-six (46) suspects were apprehended with firearms in Benin, while others were arrested in Jattu, Auchi, Ekpoma, Igbanke, Ikoro community etc with dangerous weapons and cult paraphernalia.

“These arrests have helped to significantly reduce the wave of inter-cult violence that recently plagued parts of the state.”

The CP assured that the Command remained fully committed to its mandate of protecting lives and property, while urging members of the public to continue supporting the police by providing timely and credible information.