Residents raise alarm over helicopter landings in Kwara forest
Residents of Patigi and parts of Edu Local Government Area in Kwara State have raised concerns over repeated sightings of helicopters allegedly landing inside the vast Patigi forest. Fears are growing that these aircraft may be supplying arms and logistics to kidnappers operating in the region. Mohammed Bana, a vigilante leader, told Daily Trust that […]
Residents of Patigi and parts of Edu Local Government Area in Kwara State have raised concerns over repeated sightings of helicopters allegedly landing inside the vast Patigi forest.
Fears are growing that these aircraft may be supplying arms and logistics to kidnappers operating in the region.
Mohammed Bana, a vigilante leader, told Daily Trust that the suspicious landings, often occurring at odd hours, have become a significant source of anxiety among the locals.
“We don’t know what is going on, but most of the time, we are not even aware of their coming.
“We just hear the sound of their landing in the forest, sometimes even at midnight. This has raised serious suspicion and concern among residents,” he said.
A former member of the Kwara State House of Assembly from Edu Local Government, who spoke anonymously, corroborated the concerns, stating that the issue has become a major topic of discussion among key stakeholders in the area.
“This is not just a rumour. The matter has been discussed at very high levels within the community,” he confided.
Police debunk claims
Reacting to the allegations, the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, debunked the claims, explaining that what residents have been seeing are actually official aerial surveillance operations.
“On the issue of helicopters allegedly dropping arms to terrorists in Patigi, the truth is that because of the vast nature of the Patigi forest, we need air surveillance to penetrate it,” he explained.
He added, “Some of these things that people are seeing are actually surveillance operations.”
The police boss assured that the ongoing operations will begin to yield visible results soon.
“I am sure that in the next two or three weeks, the results will be visible for all to see,” he said.
Daily Trust reports that operatives recently made progress in the fight against bandits in the troubled communities.
An ongoing offensive against the bandits recently resulted in the mass arrest of several outlaws who were involved in recent security breaches in Edu and Patigi local government areas of the state.
A government official stated that more than 15 criminals, including an outlaw named Tambaya, have been arrested in the new security clampdown in the area. This includes the recovery of over N11 million in ransoms, suspected to be proceeds of crime.