Troops of 4 Brigade Nigerian Army, under the 2 Division, have killed a suspected kidnapper and rescued an abducted victim during a coordinated operation in Ubiaja, Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State.

This comes after Lucky Egbiki, 50, was kidnapped in his farm in Okehussan, Ubiaja, by the suspected kidnapper in the area.

A statement on Saturday by Kennedy Anyanwu, the spokesperson for the operation, said the operation was conducted along with Nigeria Police Force, following credible intelligence on the abduction of the farmer.

“The rescue operation was conducted at about 1800 hours on 6 August 2026 by troops, in conjunction with personnel of the Nigeria Police.”

“The security forces exploited ransom negotiations to lure the kidnappers to a predetermined location at Onogholo, within Esan South East Local Government Area, where they engaged the criminal elements,” he said.

He stated that during the encounter, one of the kidnappers who arrived at the location to collect the ransom was killed by the troops.

Mr Anyanwu noted that the other members of the gang were forced to abandon the victim and flee into the surrounding forest, with some believed to have sustained gunshot wounds.

According to him, the troops subsequently rescued the victim unhurt and recovered the sum of N1.5 million intended as ransom payment. 

“The rescued victim was handed over to his family after preliminary debriefing and medical assessment, and was confirmed to be in stable condition,” he added.

The spokesperson stated that in a follow-up clearance operation conducted on 7 and 8 August 2026, troops aggressively combed the surrounding forest in an effort to track the fleeing kidnappers. 

He said that no further contact was made with the criminal elements.