Kidnapped Woman Rescued After Three Days, Five Suspects in Custody in Edo State

A kidnapped woman, Jemila Ibrahim, has been rescued and five suspects arrested following a joint security operation in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State. The rescue was confirmed in a statement delivered to reporters in Benin City on May 18, 2026, by ASP Eno Ikoedem, the Public Relations Officer of the Edo State Police Command.

The Edo State kidnap rescue of Jemila Ibrahim brings to a close a three-day ordeal that began on May 10, 2026, when she was abducted, and ended on May 13, when security operatives located and freed her.

According to ASP Ikoedem, the victim was rescued following extensive bush combing operations along Okpege River Road in Iyuku hamlet, Jattu, in the Etsako West Local Government Area. The operation was carried out by a combined squad of security personnel, the kind of coordinated response that has become increasingly necessary in parts of Edo State where kidnapping for ransom has been a persistent problem.

Jemila Ibrahim has since been transported to a hospital for medical care. Her current condition was not detailed in the official statement.

Five individuals have been named and taken into custody in connection with the abduction. They are Nura Saminu, 24; Shaibu Isah, 23; Suraj Sabitu, 23; Yajubu Sagiru, 23; and Oseni Abdullahi, 26.

ASP Ikoedem confirmed that the investigation has been concluded and that the suspects will be charged in court. All five remain in police custody.

The relatively young ages of the suspects, four of them under 25, reflects a pattern seen in kidnapping cases across several Nigerian states, where economic desperation and criminal recruitment are pulling young men into violent crime at an alarming rate.

Edo State Commissioner of Police Monday Agbonika used the occasion to commend the officers involved in the operation and to restate the command's commitment to fighting kidnapping and other violent crimes across the state.

The swift three-day turnaround between abduction and rescue, followed immediately by the arrest of five named suspects, is a result the command is clearly keen to signal as evidence of operational effectiveness.