Armed men suspected to be kidnappers on Friday night launched a deadly ambush on operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Okpella, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State, killing eight officers and abducting a Chinese expatriate.
The attack, which occurred at about 10 p.m. near the BUA Cement Factory, also left four officers seriously injured. Security sources confirmed that four other expatriates were rescued during the assault.
According to CSC Afolabi Babawale, the NSCDC’s National Public Relations Officer, the gunmen targeted a convoy of operatives assigned to protect expatriates at the cement plant.
“The convoy of NSCDC personnel and expatriates was ambushed in a three-hour gun battle, leaving eight personnel dead, four injured, one expatriate missing, and four others rescued,” Babawale said in a statement on Saturday.
The Commandant-General of NSCDC, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, described the fallen officers as patriots who paid the ultimate price in service to the nation. He ordered that they be buried with full honours.
“Their labour, commitment, and patriotism will forever be remembered. This tragic incident will not deter the Corps from fulfilling its mandate of safeguarding critical national assets,” Audi said.
He also disclosed that joint operations involving security agencies have begun in surrounding forests to rescue the abducted expatriate and apprehend the attackers.
The Edo State NSCDC Commandant, Agun Gbenga, has visited the scene of the attack and the hospital where the wounded operatives are receiving treatment. Security reinforcements have since been deployed to the area.
The killings came just hours after a separate abduction incident on the Benin-Auchi Road, where 16 passengers were kidnapped and taken into the forest. Edo Police spokesperson Moses Yamu confirmed that all victims have since been rescued through a joint operation involving police, vigilantes, and local hunters.
The back-to-back incidents have raised fresh concerns about insecurity in Edo State, particularly along major highways and industrial corridors. Security forces have pledged intensified patrols and coordinated operations to prevent further attacks.
