The Edo State Police Command has apprehended Obehi Odine, an 18-year-old girl, for staging her own kidnapping, while 11 others were arrested for alleged participation in a kidnapping syndicate.
In a statement, Eno Ikoedem, the state command’s Public Relations Officer, said exhibits, including firearms, were recovered during the operations.
He said the teenager orchestrated her abduction and demanded a ransom of N10 million, later confessing that the incident was fabricated to extort money.
In a separate operation in Ubiaja, the police reported a major success using a bush-combing strategy.
“The Divisional Police Officer, Ubiaja, personally led a coordinated bush-combing operation around Akwocha Camp and adjoining forest corridors, in collaboration with the Nigerian Military and the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC),” Ikoedem said.
He added that a concealed forest enclave, identified through drone surveillance as a suspected kidnapping and logistics base, was stormed, leading to the arrest of 11 male suspects believed to be members of an organised kidnapping syndicate.
The recovered items included 24 dane guns, 17 cutlasses, three battle axes, gunpowder, torchlights, mobile phones, solar panels, assorted charms, a motorcycle, and ₦209,700, according to Ikoedem.
Meanwhile, Monday Agbonika, the commissioner of police, cautioned the public against making false kidnapping reports or engaging in deceptive acts, noting that such behaviour wastes critical security resources and undermines public confidence.
“Anyone caught will be prosecuted accordingly,” he said, stressing that false reports divert attention from genuine emergencies and create unnecessary panic.
Agbonika reaffirmed the command’s commitment to technology-driven policing, aggressive forest domination, and intelligence-led operations to dismantle criminal networks in the state.
He also urged the public to continue supporting the police with timely and credible information.