iDeemlawfulThe Department of State Service has reportedly detained a medical doctor accused of transporting drugs from Sokoto State to kidnappers operating across parts of Kwara State.
A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, revealed that the doctor was apprehended in the Jebba area after intelligence linked him to medical supplies being delivered to the criminal groups.
The security agency noted that the armed gangs appeared to be in urgent need of treatment for gunshot wounds sustained during clashes with security operatives.
“So, we are advising improved security measures in health facilities in thickly forested areas, which the kidnappers may target,” according to a security official.
Kwara has witnessed a series of bandit attacks in recent months.
In November, 38 worshippers were seized by gunmen who also killed three people in the Eruku community.
A farmer was likewise abducted by bandits along the Eruku–Koro Road.
The attackers, said to be four in number, were reportedly armed with AK-47 rifles and cutlasses.
A community leader, who requested anonymity, stated that the assailants struck during routine farm activities and abducted one Annas Aasanru, a resident of Eruku.
In the same month, a traditional ruler, the Ojibara of Bayagan, Oba Kamilu Salami, was kidnapped in the Ifelodun Local Government Area.
However, on December 1, the monarch and six other captives escaped from the abductors’ hideout.
Community sources said Salami and the six abductees from a neighbouring area managed to flee after vigilantes launched a heavy assault on the bandits inside the forest.
In Bokungi Village in Edu Local Government Area, gunmen abducted four rice farmers.
Sources indicated that the latest attack occurred while the victims were working on their fields during peak harvest.
According to a resident, the gunmen suddenly appeared and surrounded the farmers as they packed their harvested rice.
Villagers said the attackers operated for several minutes uninterrupted, forcing the farmers into the bush before moving them toward an unknown location.
