DSS-led operation kills three suspected bandits, rescues nine kidnap victims in Kwara

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), working with the Kwara State Forest Guards, local hunters and vigilantes, have killed three suspected bandits and rescued nine kidnap victims during an intelligence-led operation in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The rescued victims included farmers abducted from their farmlands as well as other captives who had earlier been kidnapped in neighbouring Ekiti State.

The victims regained their freedom after the kidnappers were forced to flee during a fierce gun battle, abandoning those they had held captive.

The operation was carried out in the Obbo Aiyegunle, Ejiu Ora and Osi communities in Ekiti LGA, bordering Kwara and Ekiti states.

Confirming the development on Wednesday, the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of Ekiti Local Government Area, Prince Dada Sunday, said the operation was made possible through credible intelligence gathered by security agencies.

According to him, the kidnappers, numbering more than 10, had assembled victims abducted from different locations before security operatives launched the rescue mission.

Sunday disclosed that one of the victims suffered severe head injuries after being attacked with a machete while resisting abduction.

One of the rescued victims, Umaru Muazu of Obbo Aiyegunle, narrated how he and his son were abducted.

> “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 rescued farmer, Ibrahim Danga, said the victims had been held in captivity before security personnel stormed the area and engaged the kidnappers in a gun battle.

A member of the Kwara Forest Guards, Owolabi Adebayo, confirmed that the operation was intelligence-driven.

> “We neutralised three of them and rescued nine victims. They were heavily armed and possessed different types of firearms. We need more operational equipment, including body armour, binoculars, night vision goggles, walkie-talkies and ammunition to effectively confront them,” he said.

The operation underscores ongoing efforts by security agencies and local security outfits to combat kidnapping and banditry in communities along the Kwara–Ekiti border.