Kwara State on Friday convened a security council meeting where top government officials and security commanders reviewed strategies to enhance public safety and combat organised kidnapping gangs.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq received detailed briefings from security commanders, focusing on the recent Tuesday attack on Eruku community in Ekiti Local Government Area and ongoing measures to prevent similar incidents.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Commissioner of Police Ojo Adekimi said the council “harvested insights from security commanders on recent happenings and field intelligence in the aftermath of the Eruku incident, including efforts to track down the perpetrators and rescue the victims.”
He added that the meeting commended heightened security deployments, particularly air interdictions that have dislodged kidnappers from their former hideouts in Ifelodun, and called for continued air operations in identified criminal zones.
The meeting specifically praised the military, police, and DSS for new deployments in the state. Following a directive from President Bola Tinubu, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun has deployed four tactical teams — Special Weapons and Tactics, Intelligence Response Team, Special Tactical Squad, and Special Intervention Squad — to neutralise further threats.
Police and DSS reported several arrests, including food and fuel suppliers linked to the criminals and a man from Makurdi who confessed to fixing weapons for the kidnappers.
The council also commended government security decisions regarding schools in parts of the state, noting that measures could be relaxed, sustained, or extended based on actionable intelligence. It called for continuous vigilance and early reporting of suspicious movements, especially in light of recent developments in Niger.
Finally, the meeting approved joint patrols of security forces across the state, recommended heightened security at vulnerable locations and urged citizens to avoid night farming. A minute of silence was also observed for victims of the Eruku CAC attack, with condolences extended to their families and the wider community.
