Ilorin, Kwara State — A joint team of fully armed operatives from the Kwara State Police Command and local vigilantes has foiled a suspected kidnap plot, killing one member of a bandit gang during a gun battle in Adekanbi village, Moro Local Government Area.
The raid took place on Thursday, November 13, after “actionable intelligence” indicated that armed bandits were massing on a fortified hilltop near Adekanbi, along the Ilorin–Jebba corridor via Bode-Saadu — an area that has seen rising bandit and kidnap activity in recent months.
Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ejire Adetoun Adeyemi, confirmed the operation in a statement on Friday. She said that officers and vigilante members executed a rapid tactical deployment to the area around 10:00 a.m. local time.
“On arrival, the hostile elements initiated gunfire,” Adeyemi noted, prompting what she described as a “swift and superior counter-engagement” by the security team. The bandits were forced to abandon their position and flee into surrounding bush with suspected gunshot wounds.
A post-operation sweep of the hilltop hideout led to the recovery of the body of one “neutralised” suspect, an AK-49 rifle, and 32 rounds of live ammunition. No casualties were reported among security personnel or civilians.
The incident is the latest in a series of security operations targeting kidnap gangs and bandit cells across Kwara North. In recent weeks, police and military units have rescued multiple kidnap victims in separate raids near Owa-Onire, Omu-Aran and other rural communities, underscoring growing pressure on criminal networks operating from forested and hilly terrain.
Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, has previously warned that kidnapping in the state is fuelled partly by families paying ransom quietly instead of promptly involving security agencies, urging residents to share information early so that technical tracking tools can be deployed.
Adeyemi said Thursday’s successful raid “underscores the Command’s enhanced kinetic capability and reinforced rapid-response strategy” under the leadership of Inspector-General of Police Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, adding that sustained offensive operations would continue across all identified flashpoints. She appealed to residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious movements, particularly around border communities and remote settlements.
Security analysts say the Adekanbi operation sends a signal that hilltop and forest enclaves used as staging grounds for kidnappings will face increasing pressure, even as authorities rely on local vigilante groups to provide terrain knowledge and early warnings in the fight against rural banditry.
