{"id":1654,"date":"2026-07-15T14:56:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T13:56:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=1654"},"modified":"2026-07-18T08:08:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T07:08:56","slug":"joint-security-operations-restore-relative-calm-in-abraka-says-vigilante-commander","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=1654","title":{"rendered":"Joint Security Operations Restore Relative Calm in Abraka, Says Vigilante Commander"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Unique Orosevwotu<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustained joint security operations involving the Ethiope East Vigilante Group (VGN), local hunters, and the Nigeria Police Force have restored relative calm in Abraka after years of kidnapping and violent crime, according to the Commander of the Ethiope East Vigilante Group, Abraka Unit, Nikoro Kennedy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kennedy made this known during an interview at the VGN Secretariat in Abraka on July 9, 2026<\/strong>, where he said the university town has experienced significant improvements in security compared with three years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to him, suspected kidnappers, whom he identified as armed Fulani herdsmen, allegedly operated from bushes around the railway corridor, where victims were reportedly taken after being abducted and held for ransom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Abraka was a dead place because of kidnappers. But with the help of the vigilante, the hunters, and the police, we apprehended many of them, and now Abraka is calm,” Kennedy said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Kennedy further stated that during the tenure of former Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Fabian, a major anti-kidnapping operation led to the arrest of several suspects. He also claimed that seven suspected kidnappers were killed during an exchange of gunfire, while two other suspects were later neutralised after allegedly attempting to regroup around the railway corridor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Kennedy, about 20 suspected kidnappers were apprehended during the operations, while AK-47 rifles recovered from the suspects were handed over to the Police Headquarters in Asaba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Describing the relationship between the Vigilante Group and the Nigeria Police Force as cordial, Kennedy said the organisation works closely with the police by providing intelligence and operational support while handing over arrested suspects for investigation and possible prosecution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“We are the baby police. Whenever we arrest suspects, we take them to the police because they have the legal authority,” he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Despite the reported security gains, Kennedy said the vigilante group continues to face operational challenges due to inadequate government support. According to him, members receive no salaries, financial assistance, or official sponsorship and largely rely on personal resources to fund their operations, while community members occasionally contribute funds for logistics and other operational needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interview coincided with a candlelight procession held at the VGN Secretariat in honour of Erigga Ogbebor, popularly known as “Aziza,”<\/strong> who, according to Kennedy, was killed while responding to an armed robbery incident along Police Station Road last month. He added that efforts were ongoing to track down those responsible for the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residents also acknowledged improvements in security within the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Queen, a resident of Abraka, and Jessica Omonigho, a student of Delta State University (DELSU), said security in the town has improved compared with previous years. While they acknowledged that security challenges still exist, they expressed hope that continued collaboration between the Vigilante Group and the Nigeria Police Force would further enhance safety in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Unique Orosevwotu Sustained joint security operations involving the Ethiope East Vigilante Group (VGN), local hunters, and the Nigeria Police Force have restored relative calm in Abraka after years of kidnapping and violent crime, according to the Commander of the Ethiope East Vigilante Group, Abraka Unit, Nikoro Kennedy. Kennedy made this known during an interview […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"iawp_total_views":22,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,14],"tags":[31,30,453],"class_list":["post-1654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abrakametro","category-trendingnews","tag-abraka","tag-insecurity","tag-kidnapping"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1654"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1654\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2060,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1654\/revisions\/2060"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}