Intelligence-Led Raid Hits Kidnappers’ Hideout, Nine Victims Regain Freedom

DSS, Forest Guards Kill Three Bandits, Rescue Nine Kidnap Victims in Kwara
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), 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 conducted in the Obbo Aiyegunle, Ejiu Ora and Osi axis of Ekiti LGA along the Kwara-Ekiti border, where kidnappers had reportedly gathered victims abducted from different locations. The rescued victims included farmers seized from their farmlands and other captives taken from neighbouring Ekiti State. Under sustained gunfire from the security team, the kidnappers fled into the forest, abandoning their victims.
Confirming the operation, the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of Ekiti Local Government, Prince Dada Sunday, said actionable intelligence from security agencies was instrumental to the success of the mission. He disclosed that more than 10 armed kidnappers were involved and revealed that one of the rescued victims sustained severe head injuries after being attacked with a machete while resisting abduction.
One of the victims, Umaru Muazu of Obbo Aiyegunle, narrated his ordeal, saying four armed men seized him and his son at gunpoint, stole his friend’s motorcycle and marched them into the bush. Another rescued victim, Ibrahim Danga, said they had been held captive before security operatives stormed the kidnappers’ hideout and engaged the criminals in a gun battle.
A member of the Kwara State Forest Guards, Owolabi Adebayo, described the operation as intelligence-driven and confirmed that three bandits were neutralised while nine kidnapped victims were rescued. He appealed for additional operational support, including body armour, binoculars, night-vision goggles, walkie-talkies and more ammunition to strengthen the fight against armed criminal groups operating in the forests. The operation is the latest coordinated security offensive targeting kidnapping networks along the Kwara-Ekiti border, an area that has witnessed repeated attacks on farmers and travellers.