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The Kogi State Police Command says joint police and military operations, backed by aerial support, are ongoing in forested areas of the state, with several suspected bandits killed and their camps dismantled.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, William Aya, announced the development in a statement on Sunday. He said the operation involved ground forces working with the Nigeria Police Force Air Wing to flush armed groups out of their hideouts.
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According to Mr Aya, “Scores of bandits were neutralised, their networks dislodged, and others flushed out of Kogi forest in the ongoing operations by the joint police and military.”
He said the exercise was being carried out with “vigour, commitment, and utmost professionalism,” adding that the police air wing provided support through what he described as precision air strikes.
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The police spokesperson urged members of the public to be vigilant and report anyone seen with bullet wounds, injuries or suspicious behaviour to the nearest police station.
“Security is a shared responsibility,” he said, calling on residents to provide credible information that could assist security agencies.
According to Mr Aya, the operation forced armed groups out of several forest enclaves, with video footage showing a helicopter firing into suspected bandit camps and parts of the forest set ablaze after air strikes. The joint offensive operation had “dislodged their networks and neutralised several fighters,” he said.
The police command did not provide an exact figure for the number of bandits killed, and PREMIUM TIMES could not independently verify the claims at the time of filing this report.
The renewed operations come amid a spike in violent attacks and abductions across parts of Kogi State. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported a series of incidents in the Yagba and Kabba-Bunu axes, including the abduction of residents and deadly raids on rural communities.
READ ALSO: Kogi community calls for urgent road, infrastructure development
On 31 December 2025, suspected bandits attacked the Omi-Ara community in Yagba West Local Government Area, abducting an unspecified number of residents. In earlier incidents, gunmen attacked two churches in the same axis between August and November, abducting a pastor and his wife.
More recently, residents of Idofin community in Yagba East Local Government Area were thrown into panic after an evening attack that left one person dead and another injured. In Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area, Ayetoro-Kiri community also reported that three abducted residents died despite the payment of ransom, while several others were hospitalised and dozens remained in captivity.
Residents across the affected areas have repeatedly called on the state government and security agencies to intensify operations, restore confidence and ensure the safety of lives and property, as concerns persist over the frequency of attacks and the reach of armed groups in the state.
