The Kogi State government, in joint operations with the Nigerian Army, security agencies, and local vigilantes, has recovered about 1,000 rustled livestock in a sustained offensive against bandits.

The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

Mr Fanwo said the offensive targeted remnants of the late bandit kingpin, Kachalla Battijo, and other cattle-rustling syndicates operating within the state and across the North-Central region.

He said the recovery was made possible by credible and timely intelligence, acted upon by the 12 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, the Hybrid Forces from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the State Security Service (SSS), the police, local vigilantes, and hunters.

According to Mr Fanwo, over 200 of the recovered animals were traced to the criminal network of the late Battijo, while the remaining livestock were recovered from other armed bandits engaged in cattle rustling across Kogi and neighbouring states.

He said the criminals had attempted to move the stolen livestock through Kogi for sale.

“The intelligence revealed that the criminal groups planned to sell the rustled livestock to raise funds for the procurement of arms, food supplies, and other logistics,” Mr Fanwo stated.

He explained that acting on the intelligence, security operatives engaged the bandits in fierce gun battles at different locations.

“Several of the criminals were neutralised, while others fled with varying degrees of bullet wounds, abandoning the rustled livestock in their attempt to escape.

“I can confirm that many of the flies that chose to follow the corpse to the grave have now been buried alongside it, while those who escaped with varying degrees of bullet wounds are being actively tracked by our security forces. They will not escape justice,” he said.

He noted that remnants of Battijo’s gang had become increasingly desperate, following the elimination of their kingpin, as sustained operations continued to dismantle their network and deny them access to logistics and freedom of movement within Kogi.

The commissioner disclosed that the recovered livestock are currently being kept in a secure location in the Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area while arrangements are being made to identify the rightful owners for prompt return.

Mr Fanwo commended the ONSA, the Chief of Army Staff, the Inspector-General of Police, the director-general of SSS, as well as the military, police, vigilantes, and hunters for their professionalism, bravery, and seamless collaboration.

Reiterating the government’s commitment, Fanwo said the administration would continue to maximise security support provided by President Bola Tinubu to safeguard lives and property.

“Our feet will remain firmly on the pedals until we rid Kogi of criminal elements and restore the confidence of our people to sleep with both eyes closed,” he stated.

He stressed that the president had demonstrated a strong commitment to improving national security, and “Kogi is already recording significant gains through this collaboration.”

He urged residents to continue supporting security agencies with timely and credible intelligence and reiterated that security remained a collective responsibility.

(NAN)