DSS, Forest Guards Rescue 9 Kidnap Victims, Kill 3 Bandits in Kwara

A coordinated operation led by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, has rescued nine kidnapped victims and killed three suspected bandits during a gun battle in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The victims included farmers seized from their farmlands and others earlier abducted in neighbouring Ekiti State. They regained their freedom after the kidnappers fled under heavy gunfire and abandoned them.

The operation, which also involved the Kwara State Forest Guards, local hunters and vigilantes, was carried out in the Obbo Aiyegunle, Ejiu Ora and Osi axis of Ekiti LGA, bordering Ekiti and Niger states.

Speaking with _Daily Trust_ on Wednesday, the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of Ekiti LGA, Prince Dada Sunday, confirmed the operation.

He said intelligence gathered by security agencies led to the mission. 

According to him, “the kidnappers numbered more than 10 and had assembled victims abducted from different locations before they were intercepted by security operatives.

“Some of the victims were kidnapped from their farms, while others had earlier been abducted in Ekiti State and were being moved through the forest towards another destination when the security team struck.”

He disclosed that one of the victims sustained serious head injuries after he was macheted for resisting abduction.

“One of the victims was macheted on the head because he initially resisted the kidnappers. He is currently responding to treatment,” he said.

“All nine victims were rescued at the scene after security operatives engaged the kidnappers in a gun duel that left three of the suspects dead, while the remaining members of the gang escaped into the forest.”

One of the rescued victims, Umaru Muazu of Obbo Aiyegunle, recounted the ordeal: “They came from nowhere and pointed a gun at my head. Four of them took me and my son. They also took my friend’s motorcycle before marching us into the bush.”

Another rescued farmer, Ibrahim Danga, said the victims had been held captive before security operatives arrived and engaged the kidnappers.

A member of the Kwara Forest Guards, Owolabi Adebayo, said 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 Commissioner of Police in Kwara State, Ojo Adekimi, told _Daily Trust_ that “the DSS is in charge of the Forest Guards in the state.”

The latest rescue adds to a series of recent security offensives against kidnapping gangs in Kwara.

About two weeks ago, a joint team of DSS operatives and Kwara Forest Guards reportedly killed two suspected bandits during a gun battle. The operation led to the rescue of two siblings, 16-year-old Fatima Azeez and her five-year-old brother, Ibrahim Azeez, from a forest between Oba Isin and Owa Onire in Isin and Ifelodun LGAs.

Operatives were said to have overrun the criminals’ hideouts, while several other suspects escaped with gunshot injuries.