Kwara Security Forces Rescue Nine Kidnapped Victims and Kill Three Bandits

Joint security forces, including state-recruited forest guards and Department of State Services operatives, rescued nine abducted victims and killed three suspected bandits during an operation in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, officials confirmed following a bush-combing engagement in border forest axes.

Joint Security Forces Intercept Kidnappers Along Ekiti-Kwara Border Axis

Nine people abducted from the Eju community in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State regained their freedom after a coordinated operation involving multiple security layers. The rescue mission took place across the Obbo-Aiyegunle, Ejiu-Ora, and Osi axes, a rugged stretch bordering both Ekiti State and Niger State.

The operation was carried out jointly by Kwara State-recruited Forest Guards, operatives of the Department of State Services, local hunters, and vigilantes. According to security sources and a statement made available to The PUNCH in Ilorin on Wednesday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of Ekiti Local Government Council, Dada Sunday (also referred to as Prince Dada Sunday), the victims were seized near the local market after the Eju community attack and were being marched through dense forest trails toward Niger State before security teams cut off their route.

Victims Recount Terror as Security Operatives Engage Bandits

Rescued individuals shared harrowing accounts of the assault. Umaru Muazu, a resident of Obbo-Aiyegunle, stated that the attack occurred around 4:57 p.m. as armed men materialized unexpectedly, seizing him, his son, and a friend’s motorcycle before forcing them into the bush.

NEWS @12 KWARA SECURITY: THREE BANDITS KILLED AS SECURITY FORCES RESCUE NINE KIDNAP VICTIMS

“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,”

Umaru Muazu, Rescued Victim

Another captive from Obbo-Aiyegunle, described as a rescued farmer named Ibrahim Danga, confirmed that the group was held briefly in the forest before the joint security team intervened and secured their freedom. Owolabi Adebayo, a member of the Kwara Forest Guards, explained that the breakthrough followed an intelligence-driven bush-combing operation that led directly to a firefight with the suspects.

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

Owolabi Adebayo, Kwara Forest Guards

Forest Guards Press for Heavy Equipment to Confront Well-Armed Groups

While the operation successfully liberated the nine abductees and neutralized three suspected bandits, forest guards emphasized that the tactical reality on the ground remains heavily lopsided. Security personnel warned that criminal networks moving through border forests possess advanced weaponry that outmatches standard defensive gear.

“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,”

Owolabi Adebayo, Kwara Forest Guards

Footage from the aftermath of the engagement showed security operatives displaying multiple motorcycles allegedly recovered from the intercepted bandits, alongside the nine rescued persons who were paraded following their release on Tuesday.

Local Leaders Praise Intelligence Work Amid Broader Security Push

Local authorities praised the forest guards for sustaining pressure on criminal networks operating along southern Kwara’s porous borders. Agbemuko Gabriel, the Chief Security Officer of Ekiti Local Government Area, highlighted the critical role played by local units in gathering intelligence and executing timely rescues.

“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,”

Agbemuko Gabriel, Chief Security Officer of Ekiti LGA

The successful operation coincides with wider federal and state efforts to reinforce security across Kwara’s southern axis. Authorities note that bush-combing and joint patrols are ongoing in border communities as the Federal Government moves to strengthen the fight against banditry and kidnapping, with the disclosure that a new army battalion has been approved for Umaro in Kwara South to bolster security operations in the area.