11 bandits killed, three kidnapped victims rescued in Kogi

Joy Anyim

Men of the Kogi State Vigilante Service have killed at least 11 suspected bandits.

This was as operatives also rescued three kidnapped victims.

The Nigerian Xpress reports that the bandits had been unleashing mayhem on some parts of Koton Karfe Local Government Area of the state.

The suspects, however, met their waterloo after security operatives, acting on intelligence report, arrested an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Inspector Abdullahi Saidu, who, alongside a friend, reportedly supplies the criminals with weapons and information to carry out their heinous crimes.

It was gathered that the suspected kidnappers were killed in a series of operations at their different camps.

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A source within the Kogi State Vigilante Service said, “Alaidi is their ring leader. He was killed during the first camp attack. Rabo and seven others were crushed.

“Madei and one other were killed in the second kidnappers’ camp while Umar escaped with gunshot injuries but was recaptured.”

It was also confirmed that five of the kidnappers arrested, including the civil defense operative were in the custody of the Department of State Security for further investigations.

Reacting, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Yahaya Bello, Mr. Muhammed Onogwu, noted that such security success by the operatives was a welcome development and a proof that the security architecture of Kogi State was strong and solid enough to quash all forms of criminal vices.

He said that the Local Vigilantes across the state had continued to record good results because of the morale boost and support the Governor had continued to give as well as the cooperation from the citizens and synergy between the security operatives.

Onogwu noted that the continued efforts of the Kogi State Government to keep the momentum as the safest state in the country were, so far, yielding remarkable results, noting that the governor had severally made a commitment to securing the lives and property of the citizens and make the state a no go zone for criminal elements.

He reiterated that governments at all levels would continue to make efforts towards sustaining the drive for a peaceful Kogi state by making every nook and cranny of the state unsafe for criminal elements and their sponsors.

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In the same vein, security agencies are currently on the trail of kidnappers who were reported to have carried out attack on certain individuals in Kabba.

The state government said it was in touch with security agencies and that the Governor already gave a marching order that those kidnapped must be rescued and the perpetrators apprehended.

A source within the Kogi State security circles, who pleaded to be anonymous, said they were getting ‘encouraging headway’ in their operations against the kidnappers.