Troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA under the 22 Armoured Brigade, Ilorin, have rescued two kidnapped victims after separate gun battles with suspected bandits in Efagi village, Lafiagi, and the Ayekale axis of Edu and Omu-Aran Local Government Areas of Kwara State.
The latest operation comes amid intensified counter-insurgency efforts by the Nigerian Army across Kwara North and adjoining states grappling with rising cases of banditry and abductions.
In a statement on Saturday, Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 22 Armoured Brigade, Captain Stephen Nwankwo, said troops stationed at the Lafiagi patrol base acted swiftly following intelligence of an abduction incident at Efagi village in the early hours of Friday, October 10.
He said the troops, working alongside local vigilantes, engaged the kidnappers in a fierce gun battle, forcing the assailants to abandon their victims and flee into the nearby forest.
“During the encounter, one soldier and a vigilante member sustained gunshot wounds. Both have been evacuated for medical treatment,” Nwankwo said.
He added that the rescued victims had been reunited with their families, while clearance operations were ongoing to track down the fleeing suspects and restore normalcy in the affected areas.
The Commander, 22 Armoured Brigade, Brigadier General Ezra Barkins, commended the troops for their gallantry and professionalism, reiterating the Army’s commitment to sustaining ongoing operations against criminal elements in Kwara and neighbouring states.
He also urged residents to remain vigilant and provide credible intelligence to aid security agencies in tackling insecurity in rural communities.
Meanwhile, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2 Division, Nigerian Army, and Commander, Sector 3 Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Major General C.R. Nnebeife, has visited Omu-Aran and other affected communities following an attack on traders at Olegbede village near Idofin Ayekale in Irepodun Local Government Area, where three people were reportedly killed.
Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 2 Division, Lieutenant Colonel Polycarp Okoye, said the visit formed part of the GOC’s operational assessment aimed at boosting troop morale and reassuring communities of the Army’s resolve to restore peace.
During the visit, Major General Nnebeife met with the Dofin of Idofin, Oba Pius Oluwole Oni, who attributed the recent attacks to the community’s proximity to the Babasango Forest, believed to be a hideout for criminal gangs.
In response, the GOC sympathised with the monarch and his subjects, assuring them of sustained military operations to clear the forest and secure the region.
Okoye added that earlier in the day, during a patrol of the Babanla base, troops led by the GOC rescued two kidnapped victims from the Babasango Forest and handed them over to the traditional ruler during his visit.
