The suspect was among 16 people paraded in Benin City over alleged sexual abuse, kidnapping, vandalism and firearms offences

The Edo State Police Command has arrested 42-year-old Oji Okoro over the alleged defilement of a 12-year-old boy, as the command on Tuesday paraded 16 suspects linked to various offences in Benin City.

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The suspects were presented to journalists by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikoedem, amid a wider crackdown on alleged kidnapping, vandalism, staged abduction and unlawful possession of firearms across Edo State.

Ikoedem identified Okoro as a suspect in what the police described as an “unnatural offence”, alleging that he sexually abused the 12-year-old boy.

“This man, Oji Okoro, committed an unnatural offence; he defiled a 12-year-old boy,” Ikoedem said while presenting the suspect.

The arrest formed part of a broader set of investigations involving serious offences across the state.

The command has intensified intelligence-led operations against violent crime in recent months, including kidnapping networks and firearms-related offences. In July, police reported the rescue of three students abducted in Ekpoma after a coordinated operation involving other security agencies.

Among those paraded on Tuesday was 26-year-old Donatus Martins, who was arrested alongside a friend over the alleged vandalism of cables and equipment belonging to Africa Independent Television’s Benin office.

The police alleged that equipment worth more than N4 million had been removed from the premises since the television station stopped operations.

Martins, however, offered investigators an account of how he and his associate allegedly carried out the vandalism. He said they sold materials recovered during their first operation for N75,000 and paid N5,000 to a commercial motorcyclist.

He also disclosed that a second operation yielded N90,000, although the buyer allegedly paid only N70,000 initially.

Martins said he worked as a bricklayer and turned to scavenging and selling metal whenever construction jobs were unavailable.

Another suspect, Chigozie Anthony, was accused of luring a woman he met through TikTok to his residence, allegedly holding her captive and demanding N500,000 from her parents.

Anthony denied that the incident was a conventional kidnapping. He claimed the woman was his girlfriend and that both of them planned the scheme to raise money for her.

“She said that I should hide her so her family would pay money. That was how I hid her and demanded N500,000, which the parents paid,” Anthony said.

His account remains an allegation and will be subject to further police investigation and any subsequent court proceedings.

The command also paraded Ajayi Godwin over alleged unlawful possession of firearms in Auchi, while Akinla Lawrence and another suspect were presented over alleged pipeline vandalism around Okada in Ovia North-East Local Government Area.

The latest arrests come as the Edo police command works to maintain pressure on criminal networks operating across the state. Recent operations have included arrests linked to kidnapping, recovery of firearms and the rescue of victims.

In August, the command also rescued four people abducted along the Lagos-Benin corridor after a joint bush-combing operation involving police, vigilantes and local hunters.

The command has repeatedly called for public cooperation and timely information as it pursues suspects involved in violent and organised crime.

The new Commissioner of Police, Patrick Daaor, assumed duty as the 51st Commissioner of Police in Edo on August 10, replacing Monday Agbonika, who was elevated to Assistant Inspector-General of Police. Daaor pledged to pursue intelligence-led and community-oriented policing in the state.

For the suspects paraded on Tuesday, the allegations remain subject to investigation and due process. Arrest or public parade does not amount to a conviction, and any criminal liability will ultimately be determined by a competent court.

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The command is expected to continue investigations into the cases, including efforts to establish the wider networks allegedly behind the kidnapping, vandalism and firearms-related offences.