In a bid to tackle the rising insecurity in Nigeria’s Kwara State, the Nigerian Army is set to launch a series of sustained operations aimed at flushing out criminal gangs from their hideouts in the forests of Kwara North and South Senatorial Districts. This move comes as part of a broader effort by the state government, in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser, to restore peace and security to the affected areas.
According to a government statement released on Sunday, the operations will involve the newly trained forest guards in isolated areas, with the primary goal of routing criminals from their hideouts and restoring lasting calm to the affected communities. The statement also emphasized the importance of careful planning and execution to prevent the displacement of violent elements to other areas.
Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, in a meeting with key stakeholders in the Lafiagi axis of Kwara North, reassured the communities of the government’s commitment to addressing their concerns and ridding the areas of criminal gangs involved in violent crimes. The meeting, which was attended by the leadership of the Lafiagi Descendants’ Development Union (LADDU), highlighted the government’s multi-stakeholder approach to addressing the security challenges in the region.
In a related development, a combined team of soldiers and vigilantes was ambushed on Thursday while returning from a clearance operation in Lata Nna, resulting in an unspecified number of vigilantes being killed or missing. The team had been deployed to raid bandits’ hideouts, rescue kidnap victims, and destroy their camps in response to credible intelligence. A subsequent expedition on Saturday led to the recovery of some bodies, although the exact casualty figure remains unclear.
The state government has acknowledged the concerns of the community folks, recognizing that sensitive security issues require careful analysis, planning, and execution to achieve sustainable success. As the Nigerian Army prepares to launch its operations, the people of Kwara State await with bated breath, hoping that the efforts will bring an end to the reign of terror perpetrated by the criminal gangs and usher in a new era of peace and security.
