Joint security forces rescue nine kidnap victims, kill three bandits in Kwara

By Mosunmola Ayobami, Ilorin

Joint security forces have rescued nine kidnap victims and killed three suspected bandits during a coordinated operation in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The operation took place in the Obbo-Aiyegunle, Ejiu-Ora and Osi axis of the local government, which borders Ekiti and Niger states. In a statement issued on Wednesday, chief press secretary to the Ekiti Local Government Council, on behalf of Chairman Prince Dada Sunday, said the operation involved Kwara State-recruited Forest Guards, operatives of the Department of State Services, local hunters and vigilantes.

According to security sources, the victims were abducted from Eju community after the local market and were being taken through the bush toward Niger State when the security team intercepted the kidnappers and rescued them.

One of the victims, Umaru Muazu of Obbo-Aiyegunle, said the attack happened at about 4:57 p.m. He said armed men suddenly appeared, pointed a gun at his head and abducted him and his son after seizing his friend’s motorcycle.

Similarly, another rescued victim, Ibrahim Danga, also from Obbo-Aiyegunle, said the kidnappers held them for only a short time before security operatives arrived and freed them.

A member of the Kwara Forest Guards, Owolabi Adebayo, said the team was carrying out an intelligence-led bush combing operation when it encountered the suspected bandits. He said three of the attackers were killed, nine victims were rescued and one of the victims is receiving treatment for injuries.

However, Adebayo said the bandits were better armed than the security team. He appealed for more operational equipment, including body armor, binoculars, night-vision goggles, walkie-talkies and additional ammunition to strengthen future operations. Meanwhile, the Chief Security Officer of Ekiti Local Government Area, Agbemuko Gabriel, praised the forest guards for their role in rescuing kidnapped victims along the Ora-Yetoro axis and described their intelligence-gathering efforts as commendable.

Authorities said several motorcycles believed to have been recovered from the bandits were displayed alongside the rescued victims. They also said bush combing and joint patrols would continue across Kwara South and border communities. The operation comes as the Federal Government intensifies efforts against banditry and kidnapping, with a new Army battalion approved for Umaro in Kwara South to strengthen security in the area.