The police command in Edo says it arrested 821 suspects and rescued 377 kidnap victims from January till date.

Commissioner of Police in the state, Monday Agbonika, announced this on Monday while rolling out the command’s security measures to ensure peaceful Christmas and New Year celebrations in the state.

Mr Agbonika said that the police recorded significant breakthroughs against violent crimes, including armed robbery, kidnapping, murder, rape, cultism and illegal possession of firearms.

He said that the command recorded substantial recoveries of arms, ammunition and stolen vehicles during the period.

Part of the operations, the police boss said, was a forest clearance operation in Edo North, which he said he personally led, to deny criminal elements access to ungoverned spaces.

Mr Agbonika stated that the operation, which ran from December 14 to December 20, was carried out with the approval of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, who authorised the deployment of police helicopters and drones, alongside other logistics support from Governor Monday Okpebholo.

“The operation featured coordinated deployment of ground troops and aerial assets to ensure comprehensive coverage, and it will be sustained,” Mr Agbonika said.

He explained that the clearance exercise was executed through inter-agency collaboration involving the Nigerian Army’s 4 Brigade, Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, forest guards, vigilantes and local hunters.

The police commissioner urged residents of the state to remain vigilant and law-abiding during the festive season, stressing that public cooperation remained critical to sustaining security gains.

He also warned over reports of corpses disappearing from some private mortuaries in the state, describing such acts as “criminal, inhuman and a gross violation of the sensitivity of the bereaved.

“Anyone found culpable will face the full weight of the law without exception,” he said, advising families to patronise government-owned mortuaries where oversight and accountability were guaranteed.

The police commissioner reaffirmed the command’s commitment to maintaining peace across the state and encouraged residents to utilise the police emergency lines which, he said, remained active round the clock.

“As we celebrate Christmas and prepare for the New Year, I wish the good people of Edo State a peaceful, safe and prosperous festive period,” Mr Agbonika added.

He, however, said that the festive security plan would be anchored on proactive and intelligence-driven policing.

This, he said, would include intensified patrols, stop-and-search operations, strategic deployments and sustained community engagement to deter crime and reassuring residents.

“In line with our proactive and intelligence-driven policing strategy for the yuletide, we have significantly strengthened security across Edo State to guarantee the safety of residents and visitors throughout the festive period,” he said. 

(NAN)