POLICE HELICOPTER, DRONE SURVEILLANCE FORCE KIDNAPPERS TO ABANDON ABDUCTED CATTLE DEALER IN EDO

POLICE HELICOPTER, DRONE SURVEILLANCE FORCE KIDNAPPERS TO ABANDON ABDUCTED CATTLE DEALER IN EDO

The Edo State Police Command has rescued an abducted cattle dealer, Mr. Peter Balogun, popularly known as Oga Peter, following an intensive forest operation involving ground troops, drone surveillance and aerial support from a police helicopter.

Mr. Balogun was kidnapped on July 7, 2026, along the Igarra–Auchi Expressway, prompting the Command to launch a coordinated rescue mission across forests and criminal hideouts in the area.
According to a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikioedem, the Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, immediately deployed the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, ACP Innocent Nkeamatara, to lead a reinforcement team comprising operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) and the Police Drone Unit.
The operation received additional support from the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, who approved the deployment of a police helicopter from Abuja to provide aerial surveillance and operational support throughout the mission.
The statement explained that the breakthrough came on July 15 when security operatives intensified clearance operations in the Imoga Forest and surrounding areas. Under sustained pressure from advancing security teams, continuous drone monitoring and repeated helicopter patrols, the kidnappers reportedly abandoned their victim and fled deeper into the forest.
During a preliminary debriefing, the rescued cattle dealer disclosed that the overwhelming presence of security personnel and persistent aerial surveillance created panic among his captors, forcing them to abandon him.
The victim has since received medical attention and has been reunited with his family.
Despite the successful rescue, CP Agbonika directed that the ongoing operation be expanded to cover all identified forests and criminal hideouts across Edo State, with the aim of dismantling kidnapping camps, recovering weapons and apprehending all members of kidnapping syndicates operating in the state.
The Police Commissioner commended the professionalism and resilience of officers involved in the operation, as well as the support of the Nigeria Police Air Wing, the Nigerian Army, the Edo State Security Corps and local hunters.
He reassured residents that the Command would sustain intelligence-led operations against kidnappers and other violent criminals until all parts of Edo State are free of criminal elements, while urging the public to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies.