Soldiers Kill Notorious Kidnapper, Rescue Four Victims in Edo
By: Abudu Olalekan
A bullet ended the fugitive’s run deep inside Warake Woods. Four captives walked free that same morning. Gunfire cracked before dawn near Ujemen creek. One attacker fell, weapons scattered in wet leaves. Another pair of hands cuffed behind a back by noon. Trees stood quiet after days of whispered threats. Boots returned to base with dust on uniforms.
A quiet hush followed each loud bang across the trees. Through Warake Forest near Auchi, flashes lit up trunks as soldiers moved fast after every sound broke loose.
A single day saw soldiers of the Nigerian Army’s 4 Brigade, part of 2 Division, join forces with the Edo State Security Corps. Out in the field, they captured a man believed to be a dangerous kidnapper. Four people were found still breathing, dragged back from captivity. Another person linked to the crime was also seized by troops. All of it unfolded within twenty-four hours.
Few hours into Operation IGBO DANU 1, activity split between two spots – Warake Forest, tucked inside Auchi Local Government Area, while another team moved through Ujemen over in Esan West. That’s where everything unfolded.
Fresh off the press Wednesday came confirmation from Capt. Kennedy Anyanwu – Assistant Director of Army Public Relations at 4 Brigade – with words set down clear and plain. His message carried weight, delivered without delay.
That was the scene as things unfolded.
Midnight brought reports of gunfire echoing across Warake Forest. Without delay, they moved. Alongside engineers from the Nigerian Army School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and members of a village watch group, troops began their push into the woods on March 3, 2026. Force marked every step forward.
“The troops responded to gunshots heard in the forest during a night patrol with agressive pursuit and minimum use of firearms,” the statement said.
A sudden clash unfolded when troops took down one of the abductors plaguing Auchi and nearby villages for months. What happened next? The others froze – then dropped everything, left hostages behind, vanishing fast into thick undergrowth.
A young group made it out safe, four in total. Names came through afterward – Stella Abbas, twenty-nine; Tina Ododa, nineteen; then Razak Rashid at twenty-seven; last, Mutanibi Kalifa, only sixteen. Families found each other again after the fact. What stands out? That reunion piece. It carries more weight than anything else.
A body searched after the kidnapping yielded several things. Among them was six hundred fifty thousand naira in paper money. Shoes came out of the jacket pockets. A portable charger sat near the belt. Mobile handsets were tucked inside a backpack strap. One device still had a cracked screen.
Still, the soldiers had more ahead.
Few hours later, troops moved into Ujimen, deep inside Esan West territory. Together with members of the Edo State Security Corps, they surrounded a building believed to shelter armed abductors. The operation unfolded fast under harsh sunlight. A joint force kicked open doors without warning.
Solomon Omogbegha, age thirty-nine, found himself under arrest when the mission unfolded. Suddenly, events twisted into something harder to explain. Troops pushed into a vacant chamber within the building complex – only to freeze at what waited inside. A hidden altar sat there, cluttered with trinkets, images of unfamiliar faces – the sort of scene that stirs unease deep in the gut. Soldiers tore it down without delay, reducing it to rubble where it stood. Afterward, authorities transferred Omogbegha directly to police custody in Ekpoma, left for questioning by local law enforcement.
Out front stood Brigadier-General Ahmed Balogun, head of 4 Brigade, speaking straight to his soldiers. Not one word held back – he called out their sharpness under pressure. Sharp moves on the ground earned clear approval from him. Push forward, he said, because steady effort matters most now. Drive deeper into trouble spots across the region, just as Major General Chinedu Nnebeife ordered. The message stayed firm: do not slow down where danger hides.
Balogun spoke directly to those living in Edo State. Here we are, his words carried. Guarding lives and property stays the mission of the brigade throughout the region.
A single mission unfolded across two spots. At one point, the abductor ended up deceased. Four people walked away alive because of it. Another person is now held by officers. That kind of outcome makes the effort count.
