Nigeria security forces rescue kidnap victims and arrest suspects

Security forces in Nigeria have conducted several successful operations against kidnapping gangs in Edo, Kogi, and Nasarawa states.

In Edo State, a joint team of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, and the Edo State Security Network rescued Lucky Egbeki from the Onogolo/Oria Forest. During the operation, which targeted a ransom collection of ₦1.5 million, security forces neutralized one suspected kidnapper and recovered the full ransom amount. Two other suspects escaped into the forest with suspected injuries.

In Nasarawa State, the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested three additional suspects linked to the abduction of Professor Samuel Avengbe Okunsebor, the Dean of Agriculture at Nasarawa State University. The suspects, identified as Yakubu Abubakar, Usman Abubakar Mairiga, and Sale Babauro Abubakar, were apprehended at a local brothel on the Lafia–Makurdi highway. This follows the earlier rescue of the professor.

Meanwhile, in Kogi State, police and military personnel have launched an intensive search-and-rescue mission following a kidnapping on the Okene–Auchi Road. Using drones and tactical teams, security agencies are combing the Ebiya Forest and surrounding areas. While no victims have been recovered yet, forces have destroyed suspected criminal hideouts and recovered items such as foodstuffs and identification cards.