By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
Joint security forces on Thursday stormed and razed a bandits’ camp on the outskirts of Aherin-Bunu community in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, arresting two injured suspected kidnappers and three people alleged to have been treating them. The operation was carried out by military, police, vigilante and hunter units operating under the direction of the State Security Adviser, Commander Jerry Omodara (rtd), the security team and state officials said.
Commander Omodara told reporters the raid followed intelligence that two suspected kidnappers—wounded in earlier security operations across the state—were receiving local treatment in a settlement near Aherin-Bunu. He said the personnel were intercepted before they could escape and the camp was subsequently set on fire on Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo’s orders.
“The information indicated that two of those we have confronted in the fight against banditry were receiving treatment in a settlement around Aherin,” Commander Omodara said. “We deployed personnel and local vigilantes to ensure they did not escape. When the security agencies arrived at the location in the forest they were apprehended.”
The state security adviser said, and local officials confirmed, that two persons posing as medical doctors and a nurse allegedly providing treatment to the suspects were also arrested during the operation. He added that the governor directed that any houses used by criminals for treatment be demolished to deny them safe havens.
“We have saturated the state so they do not have a hiding place,” Commander Omodara said, adding that the government would not tolerate anyone who aids criminality. “Anyone found perpetrating crime in Kogi State will not be spared.”
Authorities said the arrested suspects sustained gunshot injuries during previous counter-insurgency operations and had sought care in remote settlements. The razing of the camp and arrests form part of an intensified statewide campaign against banditry and kidnapping, officials said.
The joint security operation remains ongoing as forces continue to comb surrounding areas for other suspects and hideouts, officials said. No further details about the identities of the detained suspects or their next court or detention steps were provided at the time of reporting.
