The Edo State Police Command has reorganised the Ekpoma Police Division as part of ongoing security assessment and strategic repositioning, ordering the posting of CSP Tomofe Nwabueze as the new Divisional Police Officer (DPO).
The reorganisation was approved by the Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, fdc, following recent security developments in the area.
Police said the new DPO assumed duty immediately and recorded an early breakthrough after a report of a suspected kidnapping along Old INEC Road, Ekpoma, was received at about noon on January 12, 2026.
Investigations, supported by technical intelligence, led operatives to trace and arrest the caller, who was later found to have staged the incident.
The suspect, identified as 18-year-old Obehi Odine (female), allegedly confessed to orchestrating her own kidnapping and demanding a ransom of ₦10 million.
Police said the incident was deliberately fabricated to extort money.In a related operation, the Command recorded another major success in Ubiaja, where a coordinated bush-combing exercise led to the arrest of 11 suspected kidnappers.
The operation, conducted around Akwocha Camp and adjoining forest corridors, was led by the Ubiaja DPO in collaboration with the Nigerian military and the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC).
A concealed forest enclave, identified through drone-assisted intelligence and aerial surveillance as a suspected kidnapping and logistics base, was raided.
Exhibits recovered from the suspects included 24 Dane guns, 17 cutlasses, three battle axes, gun powder, torchlights, mobile phones, solar panels, assorted charms, one Daylong motorcycle, and ₦209,700 in cash.
The Commissioner of Police warned members of the public against filing false kidnapping reports and engaging in deceptive acts, noting that such actions waste security resources, create unnecessary panic, and undermine public confidence.
He reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to technology-driven policing, aggressive forest domination, and intelligence-led operations to dismantle criminal networks across Edo State.
Residents were urged to continue supporting the Police with credible information through designated emergency and complaints response lines.
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