The Department of State Services (DSS) has reportedly arrested a medical doctor accused of transporting medical supplies from Sokoto State to kidnappers operating in parts of Kwara State.
According to a statement issued by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, the doctor was intercepted in the Jebba area after intelligence linked him to criminal gangs and their supply network.
Security officials say the kidnappers have become increasingly desperate for medical treatment due to gunshot wounds sustained in clashes with security forces.
“We are advising stronger security measures in health facilities located near forested areas, as these may become targets for the criminals,” a security source warned.
Kwara State has faced a surge in bandit attacks in recent months. In November, 38 worshippers were abducted in Eruku, where three people were also killed. A farmer was later kidnapped along the Eruku–Koro Road by armed men believed to be carrying AK-47 rifles and cutlasses.
A community leader, who requested anonymity, said the attackers struck during working hours and abducted one Annas Aasanru, an Eruku native.
In the same month, the Ojibara of Bayagan, Oba Kamilu Salami, was kidnapped in Ifelodun Local Government Area. However, on December 1, he and six other captives escaped after vigilantes launched a fierce assault on the kidnappers’ hideout.
Separately, gunmen abducted four rice farmers in Bokungi Village, Edu Local Government Area. Community sources said the attackers stormed the farms during peak harvest, surrounded the workers, and forced them into the bush before taking them to an unknown location.
