Kogi State vigilantes and hunters in Yagba West Local Government Area have arrested two men suspected of supplying food and other essential materials to criminal elements hiding in the forest.
The suspects, identified as Abayo David and David Bori, both natives of Itedo-Ijowa, Isanlu in Yagba East Local Government Area, were apprehended during a routine patrol by local security operatives.
According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Yagba West Local Government Council, Adeyemi Babarinde Sunday, the arrest followed a directive from the Council Chairman, Hon. Tosin Olokun, restricting the sale and movement of food items, petroleum products, and other supplies to criminal hideouts within and around the council area.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were conveying food and other materials intended for their collaborators in the bush. Their accomplices, who fled the scene, are currently being tracked by security operatives,” the statement read in part.
The Executive Chairman of Yagba West Local Government Area and Chairman of Kogi State ALGON, Hon. Tosin Olokun, commended the hunters and members of the Joint Task Force for their vigilance and swift response. He reiterated his administration’s commitment to cutting off all forms of logistical support to criminal networks within the area.
Olokun recalled that only last week, an okada rider allegedly working for a bandit group was killed while attempting to deliver supplies to criminals in the forest. The rider reportedly ran into a rival gang being pursued by troops of the Nigerian Army Forward Operating Base, Egbe, alongside Yagba West hunters and vigilantes, following a cattle rustling incident.
He warned that collaboration with criminal elements poses serious threats to lives and ongoing security efforts. Olokun urged residents, traders, and transporters to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities, assuring that the council, in collaboration with security agencies, will sustain operations until lasting peace is restored in all communities across the area.
