Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), working in collaboration with the Kwara State Forest Guards, local hunters and vigilantes, have killed three suspected bandits and rescued nine kidnapped victims during a fierce gun battle in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The intelligence-led operation was carried out in the Obbo Aiyegunle, Ejiu Ora and Osi axis of Ekiti LGA, along the Kwara-Ekiti border, where kidnappers had reportedly assembled victims abducted from different locations.
The rescued victims included farmers abducted from their farmlands as well as other captives taken from neighbouring Ekiti State. The kidnappers reportedly fled into the forest under sustained gunfire, abandoning their captives.
Confirming the operation, the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of Ekiti Local Government, Prince Dada Sunday, said intelligence provided by security agencies made the successful rescue possible.
According to him, more than 10 armed kidnappers were involved in the operation, and one of the rescued victims suffered severe head injuries after being attacked with a machete while resisting abduction.
One of the rescued victims, Umaru Muazu of Obbo Aiyegunle, recounted the ordeal.
“They came from nowhere and pointed a gun to my head. Four of them took me and my son. They also took my friend’s motorcycle before marching us into the bush,” he said.
Another victim, Ibrahim Danga, said they had been held captive before security operatives stormed the kidnappers’ hideout and engaged them in a gun battle.
A member of the Kwara State Forest Guards, Owolabi Adebayo, described the operation as intelligence-driven, confirming that three bandits were neutralised and nine victims rescued.
He, however, appealed for improved operational support, saying the Forest Guards require body armour, binoculars, night-vision goggles, walkie-talkies and more ammunition to effectively combat armed criminal groups operating in the forests.
The operation is the latest in a series of coordinated security offensives aimed at dismantling kidnapping networks operating along the Kwara-Ekiti border, a region that has witnessed repeated attacks on farmers and travellers.
