Troops of the 2 Division/Sector 3, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have rescued three additional kidnap victims from the Babanla Forest in Kwara State, as the Nigerian Army sustains pressure on criminal gangs terrorising rural communities.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 22 Armoured Brigade, Ilorin, Captain Stephen Nwankwo, the rescue operation was conducted on Saturday following credible intelligence on the movement of the abductors.
Nwankwo said soldiers from the Patrol Base, Babanla, stormed a suspected bandit enclave and successfully freed Mrs Oluwabusayo Taiwo, 25, and her three-year-old son, Taiwo Irayomide, who were kidnapped in Oke-Ode on September 28, 2025.
“The rescued victims are receiving first aid treatment at the Patrol Base sickbay and will be reunited with their families shortly,” the statement noted.
In a separate operation the same day, troops on patrol along a known bandit route rescued Mr Mohammed Sanni, a 40-year-old tea vendor from Garkarima community. The bandits reportedly fled upon sighting the soldiers, abandoning the victim, who was discovered in a pool of blood.
“One Dane gun and a cutlass were recovered from the scene,” Nwankwo disclosed, adding that the injured victim was receiving medical treatment at the Patrol Base clinic.
The Commander, 22 Armoured Brigade, Brigadier General Ezra Barkins, commended the troops for their bravery and swift execution of the mission, assuring residents that the Nigerian Army remained resolute in dismantling criminal networks in the state.
“We are fully committed to safeguarding lives and property. Our operations will continue until all criminal elements are flushed out of Kwara State and its environs,” Barkins affirmed.
Saturday’s rescue comes barely 24 hours after troops under the same operation freed two kidnap victims in Idofin, Irepodun Local Government Area, following a fierce gun duel with their abductors. Earlier in the week, soldiers had also rescued two other victims in Lafiagi after engaging bandits who abducted them from a nearby settlement.
Residents in parts of Ifelodun, Edu, and Patigi Local Government Areas have continued to appeal for increased security presence, lamenting that persistent attacks have disrupted farming and local trade in the region.
The latest operation, security analysts say, demonstrates a renewed commitment by the military to restore peace and stability across Kwara and neighbouring states under the FANSAN YAMMA counter-banditry initiative.
Meanwhile, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has urged the nation’s Service Chiefs to intensify their crackdown on bandits and insurgents to rebuild public confidence in the armed forces.
In a statement issued in Osogbo on Sunday, Oyintiloye lauded the recent gains by the military but emphasised the need for more decisive and ruthless action against the perpetrators and their financiers.
“There is no doubt about the capability of our security agencies, but the fight against insurgency requires greater firmness. Nigerians are weary, and many now live in fear. The military must sustain the momentum and identify internal saboteurs undermining their efforts,” he said.
He further advised the military hierarchy to deepen collaboration with local security networks and community members to strengthen intelligence gathering and enhance operational success across volatile regions.
