Troops of the 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, under the 2 Division, working alongside the Nigeria Police Force, have rescued a kidnapped farmer and killed one of the abductors in Ubiaja, Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo State.
The Punch reported that the Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Kennedy Anyanwu, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
According to Anyanwu, the operation followed intelligence received over the abduction of 50-year-old Lucky Egbiki, who was taken hostage while working on his farm in Okehussan, Ubiaja.
He said the joint security operation was carried out around 6pm on August 6, 2026, after the troops used ransom negotiations to draw the kidnappers to a location in Onogholo, within the local government area.
The security operatives engaged the criminals when one of the kidnappers arrived at the agreed location to collect the ransom.
Anyanwu said one of the abductors was killed during the confrontation, while other members of the gang abandoned their victim and escaped into the surrounding forest.
Some of the fleeing kidnappers were believed to have sustained gunshot injuries.
The troops subsequently rescued Egbiki unharmed and recovered the N1.5m ransom that had been prepared for the abductors.
The victim was later handed over to his family after undergoing preliminary debriefing and medical assessment, which confirmed that he was in stable condition.
The statement partly read, “Troops of 4 Brigade Nigerian Army, under the 2 Division, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, have rescued an abducted victim and killed a kidnapper during a coordinated operation in Ubiaja, Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State.
“During the encounter, one of the kidnappers who arrived at the location to collect the ransom was neutralised by the troops, forcing the other members of the gang to abandon the victim and flee into the surrounding forest, with some believed to have sustained gunshot wounds.”
The Army spokesman added that troops conducted follow-up clearance operations in the area on August 7 and 8 in an attempt to locate the fleeing gang members, but they did not encounter the criminals.
He described the operation as another demonstration of the Army’s readiness to tackle kidnapping and other violent crimes through intelligence-led operations.
Anyanwu also stressed the importance of cooperation between security agencies, noting that collaboration had contributed significantly to the success of the operation.
He appealed to residents of Edo State to continue supplying security agencies with timely and credible information, saying such assistance was essential to sustaining security operations across the state.
Meanwhile, the Commander, 4 Brigade Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Ahmed Balogun, praised the troops for their courage, professionalism and proactive response during the operation.
Balogun assured residents that the brigade would maintain pressure on kidnappers and other criminals operating within its area of responsibility.
He further said the troops would continue with aggressive, intelligence-driven operations to prevent criminals from establishing safe havens, protect lives and property, and provide a secure environment for farming and other legitimate economic activities in Edo State.
