The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, and Commander, Sector 3, Operation FANSAN YAMA, Major General Chinedu Nnebeife, has led troops in a successful counter-insurgency and rescue operation in Kwara State.
This was disclosed in an official statement issued on Saturday by the Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 2 Division, Lieutenant Colonel Polycarp Okoye.
According to the statement, the GOC, during an operational visit to Patrol Base Babanla on Thursday, personally led troops on an advance into Babasango Forest, where two kidnapped victims were successfully rescued from their abductors. The victims were subsequently handed over to the traditional ruler of Ayekale, His Royal Majesty, Oba Pius Oluwole Onidofin of Idofin Odoeshe Ayekale, for identification and safe reintegration.
The statement further noted that the operation followed recent bandit attacks in the area, particularly the assault near Idofin in Omu-Aran Local Government Area, which resulted in the death of three traders at Olegbede village.
In his remarks, Oba Onidofin attributed the attacks to the community’s proximity to Babasango Forest and appealed for a sustained military presence to forestall future occurrences.
In response, Major General Nnebeife commiserated with the traditional ruler and the affected community, assuring that the Nigerian Army would intensify ongoing operations aimed at clearing Babasango Forest and its environs of bandits and other criminal elements.
It would be recalled that armed bandits had previously invaded Oke-Ode community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state, killing not fewer than fifteen (15) vigilantes and hunters in an incident that forced residents to flee the area, rendering the community nearly deserted.
The Nigerian Army, through Operation FANSAN YAMA, reaffirmed its commitment to restoring peace, protecting lives and property, and upholding national security in accordance with its constitutional mandate under Section 217 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and relevant security legislation.3newsafro_
