In a direct response to a surge in banditry and kidnapping along shared boundary communities, the Commissioners of Police in Kogi and Edo States have initiated a coordinated joint security operation along the strategic Okene-Auchi border corridor.
​The cross-border collaboration follows a series of highway abductions along the Okene–Auchi expressway, prompting both state commands to activate a unified response aimed at flushing out criminal syndicates operating in the dense forest belts straddling both states.
​The joint initiative was formally announced following operational briefings held simultaneously at 10:00 AM on Sunday, August 9, 2026, at the Kogi State Police Headquarters in Lokoja and the Edo State Police Command in Benin City.
​The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, directed all tactical units and forward operating detachments to intensify joint clearance operations and secure all transit routes connecting both states.
​Under the strategic framework, tactical teams—including the Anti-Kidnapping Units, Violent Crime Response Units, and Police Mobile Force (PMF) Squadrons from both commands—have been deployed alongside detachments from the Nigerian Army, local vigilante groups, and surveillance drone operators.
​Speaking on the operational synergy, the Kogi State Police Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, confirmed that joint security forces have commenced extensive, intelligence-driven bush-combing across border corridors, particularly around the Ebiya Forest, Adavi, and adjoining axes along the Edo border.
​”To deny criminal elements any operational escape routes, the Kogi State Command has strengthened joint operations along the Kogi-Edo border,” ASP Afusat stated. “Security personnel are conducting coordinated clearance operations, aerial surveillance with army drones, and intelligence-led patrols in forest hideouts linked to these incidents.”
​Similarly, confirming the cross-border support, the Edo State Police Command emphasized that its Anti-Kidnapping Unit and specialized tactical personnel have been mobilized to seal off escape routes into Edo North communities, including the Auchi and Uneme-Nekhua borders.
​During early clearance operations across suspected bandit hideouts along the border forests, security personnel dismantled several abandoned camps, recovering logistics items including foodstuffs, communications gear, and military-pattern gear.
​CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi assured travelers and border communities that security forces would maintain a sustained presence along the Okene-Auchi highway. He urged residents of border communities to assist the joint task force by providing timely and credible intelligence regarding suspicious movements in nearby forests.
