DSS, Forest Guards Kill Bandits, Rescue Nine Kidnap Victims in Kwara

A joint security operation involving operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), Kwara State Forest Guards, local hunters and vigilantes has rescued nine kidnapped victims and neutralised three suspected bandits during a coordinated operation in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State. The successful mission followed intelligence reports that the kidnappers had assembled victims abducted from different locations before moving them through forest routes.

The operation was carried out in the Obbo Aiyegunle, Ejiu Ora and Osi areas along the Kwara–Ekiti border. According to local authorities, the kidnappers fled after a fierce exchange of gunfire with the security team, abandoning their captives in the process. The rescued victims included farmers who had been seized from their farmlands as well as people abducted earlier in neighbouring Ekiti State.

One of the rescued victims reportedly sustained serious head injuries after being attacked with a machete while resisting abduction. Speaking after regaining his freedom, a victim, Umaru Muazu, recounted that armed men suddenly emerged, pointed a gun at him and marched him and his son into the forest after seizing a motorcycle. Another rescued farmer, Ibrahim Danga, said the victims had already been held captive before security operatives arrived and engaged the kidnappers.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of Ekiti Local Government, Prince Dada Sunday, confirmed the operation and credited the success to timely intelligence and collaboration among the DSS, Forest Guards and other local security outfits. He said the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of coordinated efforts in tackling kidnapping and banditry across border communities.

The latest rescue is expected to boost confidence in ongoing security operations across Kwara State, where authorities have intensified joint patrols and intelligence-driven missions to combat kidnapping and restore safety in vulnerable communities.