The Edo State Government has razed a property in the state’s Uromi region that is supposedly tied to Christian Okoduwa, who has been accused of funding criminal activities and allegedly sending personnel from outside the state to aid in kidnapping operations.

The destruction was conducted out in the Esan North-East Local Government Area as part of the state’s continuing “Operation Flush Out Kidnappers and Cultists.” The exercise, led by the state’s special security task force in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force and local vigilante groups, was carried out strictly in accordance with the state’s anti-kidnapping legislation, which requires the forfeiture and destruction of any property used to facilitate violent crimes or harbour victims.

The action comes as Edo State ramps up tactical efforts against a surge in high-profile abductions and cross-border criminal networks. According to security services, criminal syndicates are increasingly using on logistics pipelines that bring logistics people and mercenaries from neighbouring states to orchestrate attacks along important transportation corridors in Edo Central, particularly travellers on the Ekpoma-Uromi axis. State officials hope to eliminate the safe houses that support these operations by demolishing infrastructure associated with suspected financiers.