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Edo State’s Special Security Squad, known as Operation Flush Out Cultists and Kidnappers, recently dismantled five suspected kidnapper camps deep inside the Ekeke Erah Forest in the Owan East Local Government Area of the Edo North Senatorial District.
According to a statement by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, on Saturday, security operatives trekked nearly five kilometres deep into the forest, between Afuze and Ora, where they uncovered and destroyed the camps.
Eribo Ewanta, a member of the squad, said signs of recent activity confirmed that the hideouts were still in active use.
“We discovered five camps, with clear indications that their occupants had only just fled. We found a fire still burning and a pot of food left behind, confirming the presence of suspected kidnappers,” he explained.
The operation escalated into a gun battle at a riverbank when suspected kidnappers, apparently alerted to the security presence, tried to escape. Evidence of cattle grazing in the forest also suggested that the camps might have been linked to armed herdsmen.
“We engaged the suspects in a heavy exchange of gunfire, but they escaped deeper into the forest. However, we are on their trail. Their camps have been dismantled and destroyed. Edo State will no longer be a haven for criminal elements,” Ewanta stated.
He assured Edo residents that the raid marked the beginning of intensified efforts to eradicate kidnappers and other violent groups from the state.
“We are battle-ready. The governor’s directive is clear: Edo must be free of criminal elements. We will pursue them relentlessly until they are captured,” he added.
Ewanta praised Governor Okpebholo for his unwavering commitment to strengthening security across the state, noting that the government’s coordinated security strategy is restoring public confidence and sending a strong message to criminal networks.
