Nine abducted persons have been rescued, while three suspected bandits were killed during a joint security operation in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The operation was conducted by Kwara State-recruited Forest Guards in collaboration with operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), local hunters, and vigilantes in the Obbo-Aiyegunle, Ejiu-Ora, and Osi axis of the local government. This area borders Ekiti and Kogi states.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of Ekiti Local Government Council, Dada Sunday, confirmed the development in a statement released on Wednesday.
According to the statement, the victims were abducted from the Eju community after the local market. They were being transported through a forest route towards Niger State when the joint security team intercepted the kidnappers.
One rescued victim, Umaru Muazu from Obbo-Aiyegunle, described the ordeal: “Men came from nowhere and put a gun to my head. Four of them took me and my son. Fear gripped me, and I fell to the ground. They also took my friend’s motorcycle and kidnapped us.”Another victim, Ibrahim Danga, also from Obbo-Aiyegunle, said they were held only briefly before security forces arrived and freed them.
A member of the Kwara Forest Guards, Owolabi Adebayo, explained that the rescue resulted from an intelligence-led bush-combing operation that led to a gun battle with the bandits.
“We neutralised three of them and rescued nine people. One of the victims is receiving treatment for injuries,” Adebayo said.
He appealed for better logistics and equipment to sustain operations against criminals in the forests, noting that the bandits possess a wide variety of firearms.
“We need more equipment such as body armour, binoculars, night-vision goggles, walkie-talkies, and more ammunition to confront them,” he added.
The Chief Security Officer of Ekiti Local Government Area, Agbemuko Gabriel, praised the forest guards for their crucial role, highlighting their ongoing contributions to security and intelligence in the area.
Footage from the scene showed security operatives displaying recovered motorcycles allegedly belonging to the bandits, alongside the rescued victims.This successful operation is part of broader intensified security efforts in Kwara’s southern axis, including bush-combing and joint patrols to tackle kidnapping and banditry in border communities.
The rescue also aligns with recent steps to bolster security in the state, such as the approval of a new Nigerian Army battalion in Omu-Aran.
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