Troops Overrun Bandits’ Camp in Kogi, Rescue Two Kidnap Victims

They moved by ground and by air. By the time the operation ended, a bandit camp was gone and two captives were free.

Troops of the 12 Brigade Nigerian Army overran a bandits’ camp in Kogi State and rescued two kidnap victims, according to a military operational report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday. The operation followed intelligence reports tracking the movement of injured bandits linked to known criminal leaders operating in the area.

How the Operation Unfolded

The bandits had been operating around the Niger, Kwara, and Kogi axis before the military launched its offensive. Troops, supported by a police helicopter, intercepted fleeing bandits attempting to escape toward the Niger and Kwara borders. The report confirmed that troops destroyed a camp belonging to a bandit leader identified as Kachallah Babangida.

During the operation, several fleeing bandits moving with more than 30 rustled cattle were engaged directly. The military also cleared an illegal mining site believed to have been funding the group’s criminal activities, cutting off a key revenue stream alongside the physical destruction of the camp.

The Victims and Their Rescue

Two kidnap victims, identified as Yahuza Sani and Tanimola Temidayo, escaped during an air interdiction strike on the bandit camp. They reportedly linked up with troops at a patrol base in Obajana shortly after their escape. Both victims were evacuated for medical attention following their rescue.

Furthermore, military authorities confirmed the arrest of a suspect identified as Ado Ibrahim during the same operation. Abandoned farm settlements that bandits had been using around Aleke were also destroyed, denying the group further safe havens in the area.

Sustained Pressure Across the Region

This operation forms part of a broader pattern of sustained military pressure across Kogi, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, and Kwara states in recent weeks. Security forces have rescued dozens of victims and arrested numerous suspects through coordinated ground and air operations targeting bandit logistics, leadership, and safe havens.

The military said operations would continue to sustain pressure on criminal elements and restore security across affected communities. For Yahuza Sani and Tanimola Temidayo, that pressure arrived just in time.