NINE KIDNAP VICTIMS FREED BY FOREST GUARDS, DSS IN KWARA

Nine kidnapped victims have been rescued and three suspected bandits killed during a joint security operation in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The operation involved the Kwara State Forest Guards, operatives of the Department of State Services, local hunters and vigilantes. It was carried out in the Obbo-Aiyegunle, Ejiu-Ora and Osi axis of the council area, which shares boundaries with Ekiti and Kogi states.

The Chairman of Ekiti Local Government Council’s Chief Press Secretary, Dada Sunday, confirmed the development in a statement issued on Wednesday and made available to The Press in Ilorin.

According to the statement, the victims were abducted from Eju community after the local market and were being marched through a forest route toward Niger State when the joint security team intercepted the kidnappers.

One of the rescued victims, Umaru Muazu of Obbo-Aiyegunle, recounted how he and his son were seized by the armed men.

“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,” he said.

Another victim, Ibrahim Danga, also from Obbo-Aiyegunle, said the captives had only been in the kidnappers’ custody for a short time before security operatives arrived and secured their release.

A member of the Kwara Forest Guards, Owolabi Adebayo, said the rescue mission followed actionable intelligence and a bush-combing operation that led to a gunfight with the suspected bandits.

“We neutralised three of them and rescued nine people. One of the victims is receiving treatment for injuries,” Adebayo said.

He appealed for additional logistics and equipment to strengthen the fight against criminal elements operating in the forests.

“There is no type of firearm that is not in their hands. 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, commended the Forest Guards for their role in the operation, describing their contribution as vital to improving security in the area.

“What they did for us two days ago, they are the ones who helped us rescue those people who were kidnapped along the Ora-Yetoro axis. They have been doing enough security and intelligence work for us, and we are happy for that,” Gabriel said.

According to the statement, security operatives also recovered several motorcycles believed to belong to the suspected bandits, while the rescued victims were presented after the operation.

The rescue is part of ongoing security operations across Kwara’s southern axis, where authorities have intensified joint patrols and bush-combing exercises to tackle kidnapping and banditry in border communities.

It also comes shortly after President Bola Tinubu approved the establishment of a new Nigerian Army battalion in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area, to bolster efforts against banditry, terrorism and other violent crimes in the state.