Security forces recover 1,000 rustled livestock in Kogi

A collaborative effort by Nigerian security forces has successfully recovered around 1,000 rustled livestock in Kogi State. The operation involved the Nigerian Army, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police Force, and local vigilantes and hunters.

The sustained security operations focused on dismantling the criminal network of the late bandit kingpin, Kachalla Ibrahim Battijo, and other cattle-rustling groups operating in the state and the North-Central region. Over 200 of the recovered animals were linked to Battijo's network, with the remainder seized from other armed bandits involved in cattle rustling across Kogi and neighboring states.

According to Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, the success was driven by timely intelligence. This information allowed security operatives to track the bandits and launch coordinated attacks, preventing the stolen livestock from being sold. Fanwo stated that criminals were neutralized or fled with injuries during fierce gun battles, abandoning the livestock. Those who escaped are being pursued.

Fanwo added that the remnants of Battijo's gang are increasingly desperate as their network is dismantled. The recovered livestock are currently secured in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area, and efforts are underway to identify and return them to their owners promptly. The Commissioner commended the various agencies for their roles in achieving this outcome.

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I can confirm that many of the flies that chose to follow the corpse to the grave have now been buried alongside it, while those who escaped with varying degrees of bullet wounds are being actively tracked by our security forces. They will not escape justice.