The Nigerian Army has concluded plans to launch sustained operations in the forests identified as the fortress of the criminal gangs in Kwara North and South Senatorial Districts.
The operations, according to a government statement on Sunday by Rafiu Ajakaye, the spokesman of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, would involve the newly trained forest guards in the isolated areas.
“The operations will rout the criminals from their hideouts and restore lasting calm in the affected areas, while care would be taken to prevent the violent elements from hibernating elsewhere.”
The statement explained that the state government has been working with the Office of the National Security Adviser to eliminate the threats in parts of the state, especially in identified settlements in Ifelodun, Edu, and Patigi Local Government Areas.
While the government asserted that “No one can dismiss the worries of our community folks,” it, however, noted that “sensitive security issues require careful and realistic analysis of the situation, planning, and execution of plans for sustainable success.”
Meanwhile, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has briefed key stakeholders in the Lafiagi axis of Kwara North on the many efforts of the government to rid the areas of criminal gangs involved in violent crimes in the region.
The meeting, which came as the Nigerian Army concluded its strategy to flush bandits out of the troubled communities, was held in Ilorin, the capital city, and attended by the leadership of the Lafiagi Descendants’ Development Union (LADDU) headed by Dr. Abdullahi Jibril Mohammed Lafiagi.
The governor acknowledged the concerns of the communities and reassured them of the government-led multi-stakeholder response to the situation.
Credible sources informed DAILY POST in Ilorin that prior to the stakeholders’ meeting with the governor, a combined team of soldiers and vigilantes was ambushed on Thursday while returning from a clearance operation in Lata Nna in response to credible intelligence.
The team was in the area to raid bandits’ hideouts, rescue kidnap victims, and destroy their camps.
“However, on their way back after the operation and rescue mission, they ran into an ambush, and an unspecified number of vigilantes were reportedly killed or missing.
“Though the casualty figure remains unclear, a new expedition on Saturday in the area led to the recovery of some bodies,” the source added.
