Security Forces Crush Kidnappers Hideouts In Kwara, Free Victims

Security Forces Crush Kidnappers Hideouts In Kwara, Free Victims

By Abiola Adigun

A dramatic breakthrough was recorded in Kwara State on Monday as security forces, backed by local vigilantes and air assets, stormed criminal hideouts in Ifelodun Local Government Area, leading to the escape of several kidnap victims and the killing of dozens of bandits.
The coordinated operation, which began late Sunday and stretched into the early hours of Monday, targeted the notorious Baba Sango and Oro River axis near Babanla—long identified as a haven for kidnappers terrorizing surrounding communities.
Security sources said the criminals attempted an ambush but were swiftly overpowered. “As security forces made inroads into their hideouts, the criminals launched a feeble ambush which was immediately resisted. Many were neutralized, while those injured are being attended to. Importantly, no deaths were recorded among our men,” a senior operative who spoke on the condition of anonymity told our Reporter.
The raid also triggered the escape of several kidnap victims who had been held in squalid conditions at the criminals’ camp. Community leaders in Babanla confirmed that traumatized victims were sighted trekking into nearby villages after their captors fled under sustained fire.
“The operation has really been a modest success. Not only were several of the criminals eliminated, but dozens of their victims have also fled. Some are now in Babanla and Shagbe,” said a local vigilante leader.
A government source added that the victims took advantage of the disarray. “Many of their abductors died in the encounter with security forces, while others scampered into the forest. It created the window for victims to escape,” he explained.
One forest guard, earlier thought dead, also returned home after the fierce battle.
The Ifelodun axis, with its dense forests stretching towards Oke-Ode and Oro-Ago, has in recent years become a hotbed of kidnappings, cattle rustling, and armed robbery. Residents of Babanla, Shagbe, and nearby settlements have lived in fear as gangs of bandits abduct travelers and farmers, demanding ransoms that cripple families.
In July 2023, the Kwara State Government launched a renewed offensive with the backing of federal forces to reclaim the area. Despite periodic crackdowns, security analysts note that the forest topography and porous state borders with Kogi and Ekiti have made complete eradication of criminal hideouts difficult.
According to a security expert, retired Colonel Hassan Mohammed: “The criminals are exploiting the forest cover and the interstate boundary to stage attacks. Sustained operations, coupled with aerial surveillance and community intelligence, are the only way to keep them on the run.”
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has repeatedly assured citizens that his administration will not relent. A top government official, reacting to the latest operation, said: “The Sunday night raid has posted appreciable success in our efforts to rout out criminals. These cowards will steadily be chased out until Kwara is safe again.”
Residents of Babanla expressed relief. Madam Dupe Alabi, a farmer, said: “For weeks we couldn’t go to our farms. This news gives us hope that life can return to normal. But the government must sustain the pressure, or they will come back.”
Security operatives confirmed that air reconnaissance would continue over the forests, with joint patrols between military, police, and vigilantes. Community leaders have also been urged to volunteer intelligence to aid the campaign.
A senior vigilante leader in Ifelodun put it bluntly: “The criminals know these forests better than anyone. Without community cooperation, the fight will drag. But with government backing and our resilience, we can drive them out.”
For now, Kwara breathes a sigh of relief as victims of kidnapping trickle back into safety, their freedom a testament to what security experts describe as a “turning point” in the state’s anti-banditry war.