Forest guards, DSS rescue nine kidnap victims in Kwara

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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.

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The operation was carried out by Kwara State-recruited Forest Guards alongside operatives of the Department of State Services, local hunters and vigilantes in the Obbo-Aiyegunle, Ejiu-Ora and Osi axis of the local government, which borders Ekiti and Kogi states.

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

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

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One of the rescued victims, Umaru Muazu of Obbo-Aiyegunle, recounted how the attackers seized him and his son during the incident.

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“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,” Muazu said.

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Another rescued victim, Ibrahim Danga, also from Obbo-Aiyegunle, said they had been held briefly by the kidnappers before security operatives arrived and secured their freedom.

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A member of the Kwara Forest Guards, Owolabi Adebayo, said the rescue followed an intelligence-led bush-combing operation that resulted in a gun battle with the suspected bandits.

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

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He, however, appealed for improved logistics and equipment to strengthen ongoing operations against criminal groups operating in the forests.

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“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.

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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 significant to the area’s security efforts.

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“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.

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According to the statement, footage from the scene showed security operatives displaying several motorcycles allegedly recovered from the suspected bandits, while the rescued victims were also presented after the operation.

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The rescue comes amid sustained security operations across Kwara’s southern axis, where authorities have intensified bush-combing exercises and joint patrols to curb kidnapping and banditry in border communities.

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The development also follows the recent approval by President Bola Tinubu for the establishment of a new Nigerian Army battalion in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area, to strengthen military operations against banditry, terrorism and other violent crimes in the state.

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