Following intensified operations by troops from various patrol bases, additional kidnap victims have been rescued in Kwara State.
The state has experienced bandit attacks in various parts, including Oke-Ode in Ifelodun Local Government Area, Lafiagi and Patigi in Edu and Patigi Local Government Area, resulting in numerous killings and abductions.
The situation led to the temporary relocation of the General Officer Commanding 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen. CR Nnebeife, from Ibadan, Oyo State, the headquarters of the 2 Division, to Kwara State, to coordinate operations.
Last Wednesday, the Chief Press Secretary to Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Rauf Ajakaye, announced the deployment of a full army brigade and equipment to the state to intensify operations against bandits terrorising communities in affected areas.
He stated that troops were already patrolling villages around Oke Ode and Babanla in Ifelodun Local Government Area, with plans to extend operations to Edu and Patigi, targeting the dense forests used as hideouts by kidnappers.
The operations are already yielding positive results, with troops neutralising bandits and rescuing kidnap victims over the past few days.
According to published reports, 148 Battalion (Rear) dealt a significant blow to bandits on 6 October while conducting clearance operations across Kogi and Kwara states.
Spokesperson of 2 Division, Lt.-Col. Polycarp Okoye, said the troops mounted a strong blocking position along the Kwara–Ekiti border axis, where they neutralised two armed bandits and recovered two brand new AK-47 rifles.
Earlier, the Army, in collaboration with sister services and security agencies, eliminated a wanted terrorist kingpin, Kachalla Maidawa, and 11 of his foot soldiers in their hideout within the forests between Kogi and Kwara states.
Two kidnap victims were rescued when the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen CR Nnebeife, led soldiers to Babasango Forest in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
On 9 October, the GOC was on an operational visit to the Army’s Patrol Base in Babanla advanced with the troops towards Babasango Forest, rescuing two kidnap victims.
The operation followed a bandit attack on traders at Olegbede village, about 12 km from Idofin-Ayekale, where three persons were killed.
During the GOC’s visit, the village head of Ayekale, Oba Pius Oluwole, attributed the attack on his community to its proximity to Babasango Forest. But the GOC assured him that the Army will sustain operations to flush out bandits and other criminal elements from the entire forest.
In Kwara’s northern zone, troops intensified their onslaught, yielding positive results.
According to Captain Stephen Nwankwo, Spokesman of the 22 Armoured Brigade in Ilorin, troops from 2 Division/Sector 3 Operation FANSAN YAMMA rescued two kidnap victims who were abducted from their home in Efagi-Lafiagi, Edu Local Government Area, in the early hours of Friday, 10 October.
Nwankwo explained that the troops deployed at the Patrol Base in Lafiagi got a wave of the incident and immediately mobilised to the area in collaboration with a vigilante group.
He said: ‘They pursued the criminals and engaged them in a fire fight, forcing the bandits to flee and abandon the victims.
‘Unfortunately, one soldier and a vigilante member sustained gunshot wounds during the encounter. Both were immediately evacuated for treatment.
‘The rescued victims were reunited with their families whille troops continued further exploitation of the area’.
Nwankwo said the Commander of the 22 Armoured Brigade, Brig-Gen Ezra Barkins, had commended the troops for their gallantry and professionalism.
‘He reaffirmed the Brigade’s resolve to sustain operations against criminal elements and urged residents to provide timely, actionable intelligence to support security efforts’, the Brigade’s spokesman said.
