Edo CP reports arrest of 95 cultists, rescue of 7 kidnap victims, recovery of arms, and new anti-crime strategies.

The Commissioner of Police in Edo State, Monday Agbonika, on Wednesday disclosed that no fewer than 95 suspected cultists have been arrested and charged to court over the past month.

He also revealed that within the same period, the police recovered 25 firearms, which included two AK-47 rifles, 130 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 135 live cartridges, and four stolen or robbed vehicles. Additional items recovered include a Lar Mark rifle, three English pistols, one Beretta pistol, four single-barrel guns, cash, and an iPhone 16 Plus.

Agbonika made these disclosures during a press briefing held to mark his one-month anniversary as Commissioner of Police in the state.

At the event, the Edo CP also announced that seven kidnapped victims had been rescued, while 12 suspected kidnappers confessed to adopting a new mode of operation. He explained that kidnappers now use their victims as human shields when pursued by security operatives.

“Our operations are not easy. Whenever kidnappers take hostages and we go after them, like we are doing now, we find it difficult to engage them directly because they use their hostages as human shields, while they are at liberty to fire at us,” he said.

He added that efforts are underway to introduce technological tools to aid in tracking kidnappers and apprehending them without endangering the lives of victims. “We want to be proactive to ensure that kidnapping does not take place,” Agbonika stated.

He pledged to sustain ongoing engagements with communities, continue bush combing operations across area commands and divisions, conduct intelligence-led raids of identified flashpoints, and maintain high-visibility policing to combat criminality in the state.

Furthermore, he disclosed that the police are working with the state government to reform the vigilante system. He noted that the goal is to ensure that vigilantes operate strictly within their communities and that forests are adequately secured.