UBIAJA, Nigeria: Troops of the 4 Brigade Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force rescued a 50-year-old farmer and killed a suspected kidnapper during a joint operation in Edo State on Thursday, August 6, 2026.
The Assistant Director for Army Public Relations, Kennedy Anyanwu, disclosed the details of the military response in a statement on Sunday, August 9, 2026. Okay News reports that Lucky Egbiki was abducted from his farm in Okehussan within the Esan South-East Local Government Area.
Security forces exploited ransom negotiations to lure the suspects to a predetermined location at Onogholo at approximately 6 pm WAT. Anyanwu said one suspect attempting to collect a ransom of N1.5 million ($930) was killed, prompting the remaining individuals to flee into the surrounding forest. Troops recovered the ransom money and released the unhurt victim to his family following a preliminary medical assessment.
The army statement 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.” The statement added, “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 Commander of the 4 Brigade Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Ahmed Balogun, confirmed the completion of the rescue phase. Troops conducted clearance operations through the surrounding forest on August 7, 2026, and August 8, 2026, making no further contact with the fleeing suspects.
