A joint operation by Kwara Police, Army, Forest Guards, and vigilantes kills four suspected cattle rustlers and recovers 35 of 40 stolen cows following an attack on a cattle camp in Lade, Patigi LGA.
Patigi, Kwara State — September 13, 2026
Four suspected bandits have been killed during a joint security operation in Lade, Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, following an attack on a cattle camp in the area that saw rustlers make away with roughly 40 cows.
The incident occurred on September 11, when armed suspected cattle rustlers invaded the camp and drove off with the livestock. Acting on subsequent intelligence, operatives from the Kwara State Police Command, the Nigerian Army, Forest Guards, and local vigilantes mobilised and pursued the suspects into the surrounding forest.
The pursuit led to an exchange of gunfire between security forces and the suspects. Four of the rustlers were killed in the encounter, while several others reportedly escaped with gunshot injuries. Security personnel recovered 35 of the roughly 40 stolen cows, along with a locally fabricated AK-47 rifle. Efforts remain ongoing to track down the fleeing suspects and recover the remaining livestock.
The operation highlights the value of timely intelligence-sharing and coordinated action between conventional security agencies and community-based security groups in tackling cattle rustling, banditry, and other rural crimes, a combination that has featured in several of Kwara's recent security successes, including earlier operations against armed groups in Isin and Ifelodun LGAs.
Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, commended the personnel involved for their prompt response and bravery, urging them to maintain the operational tempo in the state's ongoing fight against criminal activity.
The operation adds to a mixed but active security picture in Kwara State this year, which has seen high-profile abductions, including a traditional ruler and a community head's wife in Kwara South, alongside notable operational wins like this one, underscoring the scale of the rural security challenge the state continues to confront even as joint task forces record incremental successes against armed groups.
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