Ekiti deploys multi-agency operation to seal off criminal hideouts

Security agencies in Ekiti State on Monday launched a joint operation codenamed “Operation Comb the Bush,” targeting criminal hideouts and flashpoints across the state in a bid to pre-empt a potential influx of criminal elements from neighbouring states.

The operation, which commenced immediately after a briefing at the Police Headquarters in Ado Ekiti, involves personnel from the military, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Department of State Services, and the Amotekun Corps.

Addressing the joint patrol team before deployment, the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Mr Falade Adegoroye, said intelligence reports indicated that ongoing security offensives in Kwara, Kogi, Ondo, Osun and parts of northern Nigeria were putting pressure on criminal networks, raising concerns that fleeing elements could seek refuge in the Southwest.

He said the operation would involve coordinated bush combing, clearance of criminal hideouts, visibility policing, and raids on identified flashpoints — particularly in border communities — to prevent kidnapping, cattle rustling, vandalism, and attacks on public infrastructure and places of worship.

Adegoroye also noted that the exercise would help protect farmers returning to their fields with the onset of the rainy season, by denying criminal elements access to forests and rural settlements.

He charged officers to maintain discipline, professionalism and respect for human rights, while commending Governor Biodun Oyebanji for his consistent support and logistical backing for security agencies in the state.

In his remarks, the Governor’s Special Adviser on Security, retired Brigadier General Ebenezer Ogundana, described the operation as a proactive measure reflecting the governor’s foresight in tackling emerging threats before they escalate.

Ogundana said the government had continued to invest in intelligence gathering, inter-agency collaboration, and logistics for security agencies, stressing that the operation forms part of a broader strategy to deny criminal elements safe haven in Ekiti.

He urged residents to support the operation by providing credible information to security agencies.