JOINT SECURITY OPERATION FOILS CATTLE RUSTLING IN KWARA, FOUR SUSPECTED BANDITS NEUTRALISED, 35 COWS RECOVERED.

PRESS RELEASE.

JOINT SECURITY OPERATION FOILS CATTLE RUSTLING IN KWARA, FOUR SUSPECTED BANDITS NEUTRALISED, 35 COWS RECOVERED.

Timely intelligence and coordinated security response have again proved decisive in frustrating criminal activity in Kwara State, as a joint security operation foiled a cattle-rustling attack in Lade, Patigi LGA; recovering thirty-five (35) stolen cows and a locally fabricated AK-47 rifle.
The operation followed credible information received on 11th September 2026 at about 10:00 p.m. that armed men had invaded the camp of one Alhaji (name withheld), fired sporadically and made away with about forty (40) cows.

Personnel of the Kwara State Police Command, Nigerian Army, Forest Guards and local vigilantes responded swiftly and extended the operation into the surrounding forest and identified escape routes. The armed suspects subsequently engaged the joint team in a gun battle, during which four (4) suspected members of the gang were neutralised, while others escaped into the forest with suspected gunshot wounds.
Thirty-five (35) of the rustled cows were recovered alongside the locally fabricated AK-47 rifle, while security operatives have intensified efforts to track the fleeing suspects and recover the remaining livestock.

The Commissioner of Police, Kwara State Command, CP OJO ADEKIMI, psc, mnips, described the outcome as further evidence of what can be achieved when communities provide useful information and security agencies respond through effective collaboration.

He particularly commended the synergy among the Police, Nigerian Army, Forest Guards and local vigilantes, stressing that criminals often exploit difficult terrains and boundaries between communities, making intelligence sharing and coordinated operations essential to effective policing.

The CP assured residents, especially those in rural and farming communities, that the Command will continue to strengthen intelligence gathering and collaboration with other security agencies to protect lives, livelihoods and property.

E-Signed

SP ADETOUN EJIRE-ADEYEMI, anipr
POLICE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,
FOR: THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE,
KWARA STATE COMMAND.

14TH SEPTEMBER, 2026.