IBADAN/KWARA, Nigeria — Operatives of the Iru Ekun Security Network, led by Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, have rescued a kidnapped woman and her two-year-old son from a forest in Bode Sadu, Kwara State, following a gun battle with suspected abductors.
The operation, conducted between July 1 and July 3, involved collaboration with police operatives from the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT), led by ASP Ajegoke Amos.
According to sources familiar with the operation, the rescue team gained access to the kidnappers’ hideout by posing as ransom couriers, triggering an exchange of gunfire during which the suspects fled into the forest.
Rescuers subsequently located the victims after hearing cries for help while combing the area.
“The operatives engaged the kidnappers, who abandoned the victims and escaped into the forest during the gunfire,” a source said.
The victims, identified as the wife and son of an Oyo State resident, were taken to the General Hospital in Igboho for medical attention. One additional abducted ব্যক্তি is reportedly still in captivity.
The Iru Ekun Security Network, established in May 2026 following a wave of high-profile abductions in the South-West, has positioned itself as a community-driven response to rising insecurity, particularly in forested areas spanning parts of Oyo, Kwara and Kogi states.
Sunday Igboho has consistently described the outfit as a grassroots initiative aimed at combating kidnapping, banditry and other violent crimes.
However, the activities of such non-state security groups have drawn mixed reactions, with authorities in previous incidents urging caution and emphasising the need for coordination with official security agencies.
The latest rescue underscores ongoing security challenges in Nigeria’s North-Central and South-West regions, where kidnapping remains a persistent threat, while also highlighting the increasing involvement of local vigilante-style networks in countering criminal activity.
