Benin — The Edo State Police Command has arrested two suspects for alleged kidnapping and successfully foiled a separate kidnapping operation in the state.

The suspects, identified as Muhammed Muamadu Haruna (35) and Abubakar Muhammed Haruna (25), were apprehended by the police in collaboration with local vigilantes along the Auchi-Igarra Highway in the Etsako West Local Government Area.

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The command's spokesperson stated that the security team was on duty along the highway when they intercepted the two suspects.

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She explained that a vigilante member identified the duo as members of a kidnapping syndicate that had previously engaged security forces in an exchange of fire during a joint bush-combing rescue operation.

According to the spokesperson, upon being recognized, the suspects attempted to escape into the nearby forest but were quickly intercepted and arrested.

In a related development, the police also foiled an active kidnapping operation on the same Auchi-Igarra road. Upon sighting the security team, the kidnappers fled into the forest, abandoning items suspected to be logistics for their criminal activities.

The recovered items included food supplies, mobile phones, jackknives, and other personal effects.

The spokesperson added that a bush-combing exercise in the area is currently ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects.