A joint security task force has raided the camps of kidnappers in the forests of Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, which shares borders with Kwara, Ekiti and parts of Niger states.

The task force comprised the Army, Police, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), vigilantes and local hunters.

They are in their second week of operations to flush out the criminals in a land and air offensive.

Forests in the border towns with Kwara, Ekiti and Niger states believed to have long served as the negotiation camps for kidnappers, came under serious bombardment by the joint forces, while several arrests have been made.

It was gathered that the decision to engage the criminals was not unconnected with the cases of kidnapping, banditry and robbery across Kogi.

On May 9, gunmen invaded Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara in Kogi Central and abducted several students, 21 of whom have been rescued.

The killing of a hostage sparked fresh outrage and prompted Governor Usman Ododo and the Commissioner of Police, Bertrand Onuoha, to go after the perpetrators.

The governments of Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti states, in conjunction with the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), mobilised the joint troops.

It was gathered that the Senator representing Kogi West, Sunday Karimi, backed the action by donating meals to the troops.

Kogi Security Adviser, Commodore Jerry Omodara (rtd), expressed the appreciation of the state government to Senator Karimi for his support.

The Emla of Ilemla, a Second Class Chief, Oba Rotimi Victor Dada, also hailed the troops’ deployment.

He said: “It has been a successful operation, so far.

“Over the years we have been in a kind of dilemma, our farmers could not go to their farms, our wives could not go to the market to buy and sell their products.

“But with this intervention of the state government under His Excellency, Alhaji Usman Ododo and the Federal Government who brought in the military personnel to flush out the kidnappers who have turned our forests into their den, our people can now heave a sigh of relief,” he added. (The Nation)

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