The Edo State Police Command says it has arrested nine suspects linked to kidnapping, cultism, armed robbery and other violent crimes in a series of coordinated operations across Benin City.

Police spokesperson Eno Ikoedem said the arrests followed intelligence-led patrols, rapid response to distress calls and targeted raids carried out by specialised units under the command of Commissioner of Police Monday Agbonika.

In one operation along Erediuwawa Street, off Sapele Road, Benin City, officers from the Eagle Crack Unit were deployed after residents reported repeated gunshots from a residential building. The team pursued fleeing suspects and arrested 41-year-old Emmanuel Omorodion. A double-barrel gun and a live cartridge were recovered, while other suspects escaped into the surrounding area.

In a separate crackdown on cult-related activities in the Eyaen axis of Benin, operatives of the Intelligence Rapid Response Team stormed Ibojije Hotel, where a suspected criminal gang was allegedly holding a meeting. Police said the group had been linked to kidnapping, extortion, cultism and other violent attacks that had unsettled residents.

During the raid, officers arrested an alleged kingpin, identified as Usifo Omojale, along with five other suspects. Those in custody were named as Imafidon Jesurobo Frank, 31; Godstime Iliyoma, 23; Lukeman Itsagwode, 38; Usifoh Omomgiade, 31; and Ibhafidon Omonkhegbe, 35. According to Ikoedem, all six suspects confessed to being members of the Aye confraternity.

The spokesperson said investigators are working to trace the wider network behind the gang’s activities, adding that the suspects will be charged to court upon conclusion of the investigation.

In another incident, operatives from the Ugbor Division, supported by the Edo State Security Network, responded to a distress call about an armed robbery at Uwadia Street, off Ogunmenyi Community. During an exchange of gunfire, one suspect, identified as Gondas Innocent, sustained pellet injuries and was arrested. Police recovered three machetes, a laptop, an Apple iPhone, a clipper and clothing items believed to belong to victims.

A second suspect, Tasman Nanman, was later tracked to an uncompleted building described by police as the gang’s hideout and was also arrested.

Ikoedem said all suspects are in custody and will face prosecution. She reiterated the command’s commitment to sustained patrols, intelligence-driven operations and collaboration with other security agencies to protect lives and property in Edo State, urging residents to continue providing timely and credible information to law enforcement.