The Kwara State Government has announced that a notorious kidnap kingpin, popularly known as “Maidawa,” has been killed alongside several of his gang members in a military operation targeting criminal hideouts in the Isanlu-Isin forests and surrounding areas bordering Kogi State.
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaiye, confirmed the development in a statement on Thursday, citing intelligence reports from the Department of State Services (DSS).
According to the statement, “Communications intercepted from the marauding kidnappers revealed that a notorious kidnapper known as Maidawa and many of his foot soldiers have been eliminated in an encounter with joint security forces around Isanlu-Isin in Kwara State.”
The operation, which took place on September 30, was part of intensified airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force and joint ground operations aimed at dismantling bandit and kidnap networks across the region.
The government revealed that news of Maidawa’s death filtered to other gang members through another wanted kidnapper, identified as Baccujo, during a conversation with associates along the Igboro-Idofin axis, while speaking to collaborators in Katsina State.
Security forces have reportedly expanded the offensive to cover more areas that have witnessed violent attacks in recent weeks, including Ekiti, Ifelodun, Isin, Edu, and Patigi local government areas.
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The crackdown follows the deadly assault on Oke-Ode community last Sunday, where armed bandits killed at least eleven forest guards and residents, abducting several others.
That attack prompted the state government to call for stronger federal security intervention.
“The ongoing operations are designed to completely dislodge the criminals who have been launching cowardly attacks on innocent civilians and abducting them for ransom,” the statement added.
The government reaffirmed its commitment to supporting security agencies with intelligence, logistics, and coordination to restore peace across the state.