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By Lawrence Agbo
The Kwara State Police Command has arrested a man suspected of supplying food items and other essential materials to bandit groups operating in remote forest locations across the state.
The arrest was announced by the Commissioner of Police in Kwara State, Ojo Adekimi, who described it as a major breakthrough in ongoing efforts to dismantle criminal networks and curb banditry in the state.
According to the police commissioner, operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) apprehended the suspect in Ilorin after acting on credible intelligence and carrying out extensive surveillance operations.
Adekimi said investigations revealed that the suspect was allegedly involved in transporting supplies believed to be destined for criminal groups hiding in forest enclaves and other hard-to-reach locations.
Items recovered during the operation included large quantities of assorted cigarette brands and food provisions suspected to be part of a logistics chain supporting bandit activities.
“Acting on credible intelligence and sustained covert surveillance, operatives of the Unit apprehended a suspect in Ilorin whose activities are strongly linked to the movement and supply of materials suspected to be destined for criminal elements operating within forested enclaves and remote locations across the State,” he said.
The police commissioner disclosed that preliminary findings suggest the suspect may have played a strategic role in a wider network responsible for providing sustenance and other forms of support to bandits and related criminal groups.
He further revealed that investigators recovered photographs from the suspect’s mobile phone showing him dressed in military camouflage and seated on a Bajaj motorcycle, a development police believe could provide additional intelligence leads into the activities of the network.
Adekimi said efforts were underway to identify and apprehend other individuals connected to the operation.
The commissioner reiterated the command’s commitment to targeting not only armed criminals but also those who facilitate their activities through logistics, intelligence gathering, and other forms of support.
He assured residents that security agencies would continue to intensify operations aimed at disrupting the supply chains and support structures that enable criminal groups to operate.
According to him, the command remains determined to deny bandits and other criminal elements access to resources, movement routes, collaborators, and safe havens across the state.
