DSS, Forest Guards Neutralise Three Bandits, Rescue Nine Kidnap Victims in Kwara
By Zagazola Makama
The Department of State Services (DSS), in a coordinated intelligence-led operation with the Kwara State Forest Guards, local hunters and vigilante groups, has neutralised three suspected bandits and rescued nine kidnapped victims during a gun battle in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the operation was carried out in the Obbo Aiyegunle, Ejiu Ora and Osi axis of Ekiti LGA, a forested area bordering Kwara and Ekiti states, following credible intelligence on the activities of armed kidnappers operating within the corridor.
The sources disclosed that the armed gang, believed to comprise more than 10 members, had assembled several victims abducted from different locations, including farmers kidnapped from their farmlands in Kwara and victims earlier seized in neighbouring Ekiti State, before security operatives stormed the hideout.
On sighting the advancing security team, the bandits engaged the operatives in a fierce gun battle but were overwhelmed by superior firepower. Three of the suspects were neutralised, while the remaining members of the gang fled into the surrounding forest with varying degrees of injuries, abandoning their captives.
All nine victims were rescued alive during the operation. One of the rescued victims sustained severe head injuries after he was reportedly attacked with a machete by the kidnappers while resisting abduction and is receiving medical attention.
Confirming the development, the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of Ekiti Local Government Area, Prince Dada Sunday, said the successful operation followed actionable intelligence gathered by security agencies.
He commended the DSS, Forest Guards, hunters and vigilante operatives for their swift response, noting that their intervention prevented the victims from being moved deeper into the forest.
One of the rescued victims, Umaru Muazu of Obbo Aiyegunle, narrated how he and his son were abducted by armed men while on their farm.
“They came from nowhere and pointed a gun at my head. Four of them took me and my son. They also seized my friend’s motorcycle before forcing us into the bush,” he said.
Another rescued farmer, Ibrahim Danga, said the victims had been held in captivity before the security team launched the rescue operation.
A member of the Kwara State Forest Guards, Owolabi Adebayo, who participated in the operation, said the mission was based on credible intelligence.
“We neutralised three of them and rescued nine victims. They were heavily armed and possessed different types of firearms. However, we need more operational equipment, including body armour, binoculars, night vision goggles, walkie-talkies and adequate ammunition to effectively confront these criminal elements,” he said.
Security sources said efforts are ongoing to track and apprehend the fleeing members of the gang, while surveillance has been intensified across the forest corridor to prevent the regrouping of criminal elements operating along the Kwara–Ekiti border.
