In a successful joint operation, troops from 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, alongside the Nigerian Air Force, Edo State Police Command, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Edo State Security Corps, executed a major security clearance operation on February 4, 2026. The operation, codenamed Operation IGBO DANU 1, targeted the Osara Community in Etsako West Local Government Area, as well as Auchi and Okpella in Edo North Senatorial District of Edo State, aimed at neutralising and flushing out kidnappers, terrorists, and rescuing victims.

During the operation, eight suspected kidnappers and drug peddlers were arrested, including Jamilu Mohammad (25), Kasim Abu (33), Braimoh Affeez (31), Sulaiman Hamisu (36), Lawan Umaru (25), Bawa Auwal (24), Musa Umaru (40), and Amodu Attai (50). Weapons seized from the suspects included one English Auto Pump-action gun, four live cartridges, and a locally made pistol. Other confiscated items included a Point-of-Sale (POS) machine, two cutlasses, a Nikon digital camera, two Android phones, a metal hook, five bottles of codeine syrup, Indian hemp weighing scales, and several narcotic substances, including cannabis sativa, tramadol, ice, loud, and colos. A sum of N87,550 was also recovered.

The suspects and the recovered items were handed over to the Edo State Police Command for further investigation.

In a related development, 4 Brigade troops, in collaboration with the Edo State Police Command, also conducted a raid in the Aviele Forest in Etsako West Local Government Area to dismantle terrorist and kidnapper networks. During this operation, five more suspected kidnappers—Isiaka Abubakar (37), Mohammad Abubakar (25), Yusuf Abubakar (24), Mohammed Somu (20), and Isiaka Ibrahim (30)—were arrested. Two motorcycles, two Android phones, and a power bank were recovered from them.

The Commander of 4 Brigade, Brigadier General Ahmed Balogun, who led the operations, commended the swift and effective collaboration between the various security agencies. He reiterated that Edo State would no longer be a safe haven for terrorists and criminals, emphasising the Brigade's ongoing commitment to maintaining peace and securing the lives and properties of the state's residents. He also expressed his gratitude to Major General Chinedu Nnebeife, the General Officer Commanding 2 Division Nigerian Army, for his strategic guidance and support.