A joint operation led by intelligence officers has rescued nine hostages and killed three suspected gunmen in Kwara State.
The dawn raid targeted a remote forest corridor in the Ekiti Local Government Area, which borders Ekiti and Niger states. Operatives from the Department of State Services (DSS) mounted the offensive alongside the Kwara State Forest Guards, local hunters, and community vigilantes.
The rescued hostages, comprising local farmers seized from their fields alongside travellers abducted in neighbouring Ekiti State, were freed unharmed after a heavy gun battle forced the remaining attackers to flee into the dense bushland.
Prince Dada Sunday, Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of the Ekiti Local Government, confirmed the details of the raid.
“The kidnappers were more than 10 and had assembled victims abducted from different locations before they were intercepted by security operatives,” Sunday said.
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 added.
One hostage required emergency medical care after suffering a severe head wound while attempting to resist his captors.
“One of the victims was macheted on the head because he initially resisted the kidnappers. He is currently responding to treatment,” Sunday confirmed.
“All nine victims were rescued at the scene after security operatives engaged the kidnappers in an exchange of gunfire that left three of the suspects dead, while the remaining members of the gang escaped into the forest,” he said.
Strategic victory highlights reliance on local intelligence
The successful Kwara kidnapping rescue underlines a shift towards intelligence-driven operations in rural Nigeria. As criminal gangs increasingly use dense, unpoliced woodlands to move hostages across state boundaries, federal agencies are relying heavily on regional guards and local hunters who possess intimate knowledge of the terrain.
These unmapped woodland zones between Kwara, Ekiti, and Niger states have become key transit routes for armed groups seeking to evade federal security checkpoints. By integrating local forest guards into federal operations, security services can strike before hostages are moved deeper into remote hideouts.
However, the operation also brings the operational deficits of rural security forces into sharp focus. Frontline units continue to request better protective equipment and advanced communication tools to counter heavily armed syndicates effectively.
Joint DSS and Forest Guard teams raid hideouts between Oba Isin and Owa Onire, neutralising two bandits and freeing two abducted siblings aged 16 and 5.
Surviving hostages detail ambush tactics
Survivors of the abduction described how quickly the armed gang struck along rural farmland routes.
“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,” said Umaru Muazu, a resident of Obbo Aiyegunle who was seized alongside his son.
Ibrahim Danga, another rescued farmer, confirmed that the captives were held in a makeshift forest clearing shortly before the security team arrived and opened fire on the gang.
Members of the tactical team stressed that while the mission succeeded, rural units face steep operational constraints. Owolabi Adebayo, a member of the Kwara Forest Guards who took part in the raid, outlined the resource gaps facing field personnel.
“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,” Adebayo said.
Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, confirmed the operational structure following the raid, noting that the “DSS is in charge of the forest guard in the state.
The mission marks the second major offensive by joint forces in the region within a fortnight, following a similar raid in the Isin and Ifelodun local government areas where officers killed two suspects and rescued two abducted children.
