An intelligence-led operation by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) has resulted in the elimination of three suspected bandits and the rescue of nine of their victims, following a fierce gun battle in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The rescued victims reportedly included farmers seized from their farmlands, along with others earlier abducted in neighbouring Ekiti State. They regained their freedom after the kidnappers fled under heavy gunfire, abandoning their captives in the process.
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 Kwara States.
Speaking on Wednesday, the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of Ekiti LGA, Prince Dada Sunday, confirmed the operation, noting that intelligence gathered by security agencies led directly to the successful rescue mission. According to him, the kidnappers, numbering more than ten, had assembled victims abducted from different locations before being overwhelmed by security operatives. He disclosed that one of the victims sustained serious head injuries after being cut with a machete while resisting abduction.
One of the rescued victims, Umaru Muazu of Obbo Aiyegunle, recounted the ordeal, saying armed men had suddenly emerged and seized him along with his son. “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 captive before security operatives arrived and engaged the kidnappers.
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,” he said, adding that more operational equipment, including body armour, binoculars, night vision goggles, walkie-talkies, and ammunition, is urgently needed to effectively confront the threat going forward.
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