ENUGU, NIGERIA (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Nigeria Police Force has announced that a coordinated security operation across Kogi and Kwara states led to the rescue of 309 abducted persons, the arrest of 129 suspected terrorists, and the killing of 55 others during armed confrontations with security operatives.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed the details on Tuesday while speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme.
Hundeyin said the suspects who were killed lost their lives during exchanges of gunfire with security personnel, stressing that the incidents were not extrajudicial killings.
He said, “I can confirm that 129 of these terrorists were arrested and 55 were neutralised. I am talking about Kogi and Kwara,.
“Some people might want to say these were extrajudicial killings, so I have to make it clear these were firefights.”
He further confirmed that a total of 309 hostages were freed during the sustained security operations carried out in both states.
READ ALSO: Police Arrest Robbery Suspect Disguised In NYSC Uniform
“309 hostages were rescued between Kogi and Kwara,” Hundeyin said, adding that several of the suspects chose to resist arrest despite seeing their associates apprehended.
“These were people who decided to fight to the end, so 55 of them were neutralised,” he added.
According to the police spokesman, the operation was the result of months of intelligence gathering and strategic planning involving multiple security agencies.
He explained that the exercise was executed by a combination of specialised police units, including the Police Mobile Force, the Intelligence Response Team, the Special Intervention Squad, and the Air Wing, working in close collaboration with the military and other security agencies.
“This was a mix of units working together,” Hundeyin said.
“There were ground troops systematically mopping up the area, with constant communication between the Air Wing and officers on the ground.”
Hundeyin disclosed that no security personnel were killed during the operation, noting that operatives had been deployed in the affected areas for several months.
He described the terrain as heavily forested, rugged, and largely inaccessible by road, a challenge that made aerial surveillance and support crucial to the success of the operation.
Assuring Nigerians of continued action, the police spokesman said security forces would not relent in the fight against criminal elements.
“We are taking this battle to every identified enclave of bandits and terrorists,” he said. “This is just the beginning.”