Gunmen Kill 8 NSCDC Personnel, Abduct Chinese Expatriate In Edo
Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have killed eight personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) attached to the BUA Cement Factory in Okpella, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State.
The incident, which occurred on Friday, September 5, 2025, around 10 p.m., also led to the abduction of one Chinese national, while four others were rescued. Four NSCDC operatives sustained serious injuries and are currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.
Confirming the incident in a statement on Saturday, CSC Afolabi Babawale, National Public Relations Officer for NSCDC, said the attack lasted for three hours and occurred when its operatives were escorting expatriates during a routine patrol at the company’s entrance.
“It is very imperative to relay to the public the exact situation surrounding the attack. The operatives were deployed to provide adequate security and ensure the safety of Chinese expatriates working at the company. Quite unfortunately, the convoy of both NSCDC operatives and the expatriates was ambushed, leaving eight personnel dead, four seriously injured, one expatriate missing, and four others rescued,” the statement read.
The Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, has directed the Edo State Commandant and senior officers to pay condolences to the families of the slain operatives and ensure they are buried with full honours.
He also assured that the Corps would cover the medical bills of those injured.
“The labour, commitment, and patriotism displayed by the operatives will forever be remembered. This occurrence will not discourage the Corps from discharging its statutory mandate of protecting critical national assets and infrastructure,” Audi was quoted as saying.
He further appreciated other security agencies collaborating with the Corps to comb the surrounding forests to rescue the abducted expatriate and apprehend the perpetrators.
Meanwhile, the Edo State NSCDC Commandant, Agun Gbenga, has visited the crime scene and the hospital where the injured officers are being treated. Joint security operations with sister agencies have since commenced in the area.
The killings came on the same day another major abduction was recorded in the state. Sixteen passengers travelling along the Benin-Auchi Road were kidnapped and forced into the forest before being rescued by police operatives and local vigilantes.
Edo Police spokesperson, Moses Yamu, confirmed the development, saying, “The kidnapping took place on Friday at about 16:30 hrs. Sixteen of the victims have been rescued so far, as the search and rescue operation by the command in collaboration with vigilantes and hunters continues.”
Gunmen Kill 8 NSCDC Personnel, Abduct Chinese Expatriate In Edo is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
