Security forces have dismantled several bandit networks operating across parts of Kogi State, killing scores of suspected bandits during coordinated clearance operations, security sources have confirmed.

The operations, which involved a combined team of the Nigerian Army, police, Department of State Services (DSS) and local vigilante groups, were carried out in identified bandit hideouts across forested areas of Kogi East and Kogi West senatorial districts.

A security source told on Sunday that the raids followed weeks of intelligence gathering on the movements and camps of armed groups responsible for kidnapping, armed robbery and attacks on communities along major highways in the state.

“Several bandit camps were overrun during the operations. Many of the criminals were neutralised, while others fled with gunshot injuries into the forests,” the source said.

According to the source, the joint task force also recovered a cache of weapons, including AK-47 rifles, locally made firearms, ammunition, motorcycles and communication gadgets believed to have been used by the bandits to coordinate attacks.

Communities affected by the operations include parts of Bassa, Dekina, Ankpa, Kabba-Bunu and Yagba East Local Government Areas, which have witnessed a surge in banditry and kidnapping in recent months.

The Commissioner of Police in Kogi, Mr Miller Dantawaye, confirmed the development in a statement, describing the operation as a major breakthrough in the state’s ongoing fight against criminal elements.

Dantawaye said the police, in collaboration with other security agencies, would sustain pressure on criminal gangs until they were completely flushed out of the state.

“The command remains committed to ensuring the safety of lives and property of residents. We urge members of the public to continue to provide timely and credible information to security agencies,” he said.

Similarly, the Kogi State Government commended the security forces for what it described as a decisive action against banditry.

The Commissioner for Information, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, said the success of the operation reflected the state government’s resolve to support security agencies with logistics and intelligence.

Fanwo assured residents that the government would not relent in its efforts to restore lasting peace, especially in rural communities and border areas prone to criminal infiltration.

Residents of some of the affected communities told sources that the operations had brought a measure of relief, as sporadic gunfire and movement of armed men had reduced significantly.

Kogi has in recent years faced security challenges linked to its strategic location, sharing boundaries with several states, a factor security experts say has been exploited by criminal groups to evade arrest.