An intelligence-led operation by troops of 4 Brigade Nigerian Army has disrupted a kidnapping operation in Edo State, rescuing a 50-year-old farmer and putting sustained pressure on members of the gang who fled into surrounding forest after an armed encounter.
Desk: Defence & Security
Date: Saturday, August 8, 2026
Time: 16:00 WAT
Location: Edo State, Nigeria
The operation, conducted in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force under Operation KO SALO, followed credible intelligence on the abduction of Mr Lucky Egbiki at his farm in Okehussan, Ubiaja, Esan South East Local Government Area.
According to a statement issued by the Assistant Director Army Public Relations, 4 Brigade Nigerian Army, Captain Kennedy Anyanwu, the security forces exploited ransom negotiations to draw members of the gang to a predetermined location at Onogholo on August 6, where troops and police personnel engaged the kidnappers.
One of the kidnappers who arrived to collect the ransom was neutralized during the encounter, while other members of the gang abandoned the victim and fled into the surrounding forest. Some of the fleeing criminals are believed to have sustained gunshot wounds.
The troops subsequently recovered the ₦1.5 million ransom money and rescued Egbiki unhurt. Following preliminary debriefing and medical assessment, the victim was handed over to his family in stable condition.
The operation did not end with the rescue. Troops conducted follow-up clearance operations on August 7 and 8, combing the surrounding forest in an effort to locate the fleeing members of the gang, although no further contact was recorded.
The sequence of operations reflects an intelligence-to-action approach in which information on the abduction was converted into an operational opportunity, allowing security forces to disrupt the ransom collection, recover the victim and maintain pressure on the remaining criminal elements.
The Commander, 4 Brigade Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Ahmed Balogun, commended the troops for what he described as proactiveness, courage and professionalism during the operation.
Brigadier General Balogun also reaffirmed the Brigade’s commitment to sustained and intelligence-led operations against kidnappers and other criminal elements within its area of responsibility, with particular emphasis on denying them safe havens.
The Brigade’s operational objective extends beyond individual rescue operations. According to the Commander, sustained pressure on criminal networks is intended to protect lives and property while creating a secure environment for farming and other legitimate economic activities across Edo State.
The Army also urged residents to continue providing timely, credible and actionable information to security agencies, stressing that community intelligence remains important to sustaining operational successes against kidnapping and other violent crimes.
The Edo operation therefore combines three elements central to the security response against kidnapping: actionable intelligence, coordinated action between military and police forces, and sustained follow-up operations designed to prevent fleeing criminal elements from regaining operational freedom.
🏷️ Tags: Zig Diaries Press Release, Operation KO SALO, Nigerian Army, 4 Brigade Nigerian Army, Edo State, Kidnapping, Intelligence-Led Operations, Nigeria Police Force, Counter-Kidnapping, Internal Security, Esan South East, Security Operations
#ZigPressRelease #ZigDiariesDefence #OperationKOSALO #NigerianArmy #EdoState #CounterKidnapping #InternalSecurity #SecurityOperations #Nigeria
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