THE Nigeria Police Force says a coordinated security operation across Kogi and Kwara states has led to the rescue of 309 hostages, the arrest of 129 suspected terrorists, and the killing of 55 others.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this on Tuesday during an interview on Politics Today on Channels Television monitored by News Point Nigeria.
Providing details of the operation, Hundeyin said the suspects who were killed during armed confrontations with security operatives, stressing that the incidents were not cases of extrajudicial killings.
“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 said.
Hundeyin also confirmed that “309 hostages were rescued between Kogi and Kwara” during the sustained operations.
According to him, the suspects who were killed refused to surrender and chose to engage operatives despite the arrest of some of their associates.
“These were people who decided to fight to the end, so 55 of them were neutralised,” he added.
He explained that the success recorded was the result of “months of intelligence gathering and planning,” involving multiple security agencies.
The operation, he said, was executed by a combination of police units, including the Police Mobile Force, Intelligence Response Team, Special Intervention Squad, and the Air Wing, working in partnership with the military and other security agencies.
“This was a mix of units working together. There were ground troops mopping up the area in a coordinated manner, with constant communication between the Air Wing and officers on the ground,” Hundeyin said.
According to him, no casualties were recorded among security operatives during the operation.
He noted that the operatives had been deployed to the area for several months, describing the terrain as difficult, heavily forested, and largely inaccessible by road, which necessitated aerial support.
The police spokesman assured Nigerians that the operation was ongoing and would be sustained.
“In the coming days, it may not be as easy because a lot of ‘raking’ still needs to be done, but we can assure Nigerians that we are working seriously to sustain what we have started.
“We are taking this battle to every identified enclave of bandits and terrorists. This is just the beginning,” he said.
The large-scale, multi-agency offensive reportedly began over the weekend, with aerial footage from the operation showing settlements in forested areas engulfed in flames as security forces dismantled criminal hideouts.