A joint security operation led by the Department of State Services (DSS) has resulted in the killing of three suspected bandits and the rescue of nine kidnapped victims following a gun battle in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.
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 the local government area, a border community between Kwara and Ekiti States.
The rescued victims were said to include farmers abducted from their farmlands as well as other persons who had earlier been kidnapped in neighbouring Ekiti State.
Sources who spoke to The Nation said the captives regained their freedom after the gunmen fled the scene under intense exchange of gunfire, abandoning their victims.
Confirming the operation, the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of Ekiti Local Government Area, Prince Dada Sunday, said intelligence gathered by security agencies led to the successful rescue mission.
According to him, the armed men, numbering more than 10, had assembled victims abducted from different locations before security operatives launched the operation.
Sunday also disclosed that one of the rescued victims sustained severe head injuries after being attacked with a machete while resisting abduction.
One of the rescued victims, Umaru Muazu, a resident of Obbo Aiyegunle, recounted how he and his son were ambushed by the kidnappers.
“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 remained in captivity until security operatives stormed the kidnappers’ hideout and engaged them in a fierce gun battle.
A member of the Kwara State Forest Guards, Owolabi Adebayo, described the operation as intelligence-driven and confirmed the outcome of the raid.
“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.
