Police command in Kwara says it disrupted a bandit network in Ilorin, the state capital, and arrested a suspect linked to the movement and supply of materials for criminal elements operating within forested areas in the state.

The command’s spokesperson, in a statement issued on Thursday, said the successful operation followed credible intelligence and sustained covert surveillance.

‎”Items recovered in connection with the investigation include a large quantity of assorted cigarette brands and other rations believed to form part of a logistics chain servicing criminal groups,” Ms Ejire-Adeyemi stated.

According to her, preliminary investigation indicated that the suspect played a strategic support role within a broader network responsible for providing sustenance and other forms of assistance to bandits and allied criminal elements. 

Ms Ejire-Adeyemi explained that ‎during the course of the investigation, photographs recovered from the suspect’s mobile device showed him dressed in military camouflage and seated on a Bajaj motorcycle, further strengthening intelligence leads regarding his suspected association with criminal elements.

“Efforts are ongoing to identify and apprehend other collaborators connected to the network,” she added.

Police commissioner, Adekimi Ojo, reassured residents that ongoing security operations across the state were increasingly focused on targeting not only armed criminals but also the logistical structures, collaborators, informants, and suppliers that sustain their activities. 

‎He noted that the command remained resolute in denying criminal groups the resources, freedom of movement, and support networks required to operate, while sustaining pressure on all persons involved in aiding criminality in any form.