The reign of terror led by the notorious kidnap kingpin known as Maidawa has been cut short after sustained airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force wiped him out along with several of his gang members in Kwara and neighbouring Kogi State.
The operation was carried out on Tuesday within the dense forests of Isanlu-Isin, Kwara, and adjoining areas in Kogi.
It followed the deadly raid on Oke-Ode community in Ifelodun Local Government Area last Sunday, where at least 11 forest guards and residents were killed, while several others were abducted.
Confirming the development, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s Senior Special Assistant on Communication, Ibraheem Abdullateef, disclosed that security intelligence confirmed Maidawa’s death.
“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,” Abdullateef wrote on his X handle Thursday.
He explained that the engagement, which occurred on Monday, formed part of intensified joint security operations aimed at flushing out armed criminal groups across Kwara.
“Security forces, spurred by new calls of the state government for urgent interventions, have ratcheted up efforts to dislodge the kidnappers who often launch cowardly attacks on civilian populations and abduct people for ransom,” he added.
Abdullateef noted that the ongoing offensive is being executed in phases, targeting hotspots where recent incidents have been recorded, such as Ekiti, Ifelodun, Isin, Edu, and Patigi LGAs.
Sources revealed that the coordinated operation involves the Nigerian Air Force working alongside the Nigerian Army, Police, and the Department of State Services.
The crackdown comes just two days after the Oke-Ode killings, which triggered widespread anger and demonstrations. Aggrieved residents had blocked the Ilorin–Abuja Expressway at Ajase-Ipo, demanding urgent government action.
In response, Governor AbdulRazaq convened an emergency Security Council meeting on Tuesday night, declaring that the state would not serve as a refuge for bandits.
“Our security agencies, supported by the government, are determined to crush these criminals. Kwara will not be a haven for bandits,” the governor said in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye.
Although the exact number of casualties from the airstrikes has yet to be independently confirmed, security officials stressed that the onslaught will continue until all bandit enclaves in the forests are dismantled.
