Operatives of the Kwara State Police Command have arrested 32 suspected bandits linked to kidnapping, cattle rustling and other violent crimes during intelligence-led operations targeting criminal hideouts in forest communities across Kwara State.
The suspects were apprehended during sustained raids carried out by officers of the Kwara State Police Command in collaboration with detectives from the Intelligence Response Team.
The arrests were made during sustained intelligence-led operations targeting criminal networks operating within forest corridors and rural communities across the state.
Investigations revealed that the suspects belong to different gangs using forests around Awi, Kaiama, Patigi, Gbugbu, Tsaraji, and Babanla as operational hideouts.
Among those arrested are two foreign nationals from the Niger Republic, suspected of collaborating with local bandit groups in cross-border criminal activities.
During coordinated raids, police operatives recovered Five (5) walkie-talkie communication devices, 38 rounds of live ammunition, Four (4) AK-47 rifles and a camouflage hydration backpack suspected to have been used by the criminal groups to coordinate attacks and evade security patrols.
Further investigations also led to the arrest of Umar Mohammed, a suspect from Jos in Plateau State, alleged to have supplied communication devices to bandits, alongside other individuals suspected of providing logistics and support to the criminal network.
Commenting in the arrests, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, who visited Kaiama to commend the operatives for their gallantry, noted that the arrests were part of coordinated efforts by the police and other security agencies to dismantle criminal networks operating within forest corridors in the state.
He commended the officers for their professionalism and urged residents to continue providing credible information to security agencies.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Adekimi Ojo, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to intensify operations against banditry and restore safety to affected communities, assuring that all suspects in custody would be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
