Department of State Services operatives have detained a medical doctor for reportedly delivering medical supplies from Sokoto State to alleged abduction gangs in Kwara State.
The Kwara State Government announced the arrest in a statement on its official Facebook page on Friday.
According to reports, the suspect was apprehended in Jebba, Moro Local Government Area, after intelligence connected him to a gang that supplied medical items to armed groups across the region.
The statement read, “The Department of State Service has taken into custody a medical doctor who was ferrying drugs from Sokoto to kidnappers in parts of Kwara State.
“The secret service says the criminal gangs appear desperate for medical care following gunshot wounds sustained in encounters with security forces.”
Security sources stated that the arrest is an aspect of an intensified effort to interfere with the logistics networks that sustains kidnapping cells in the North-Central zone.
According to one of the sources, kidnapping gangs have recently stepped up their efforts to obtain medical care, especially for gunshot wounds received during altercations with security personnel. As a result, security authorities are now keeping a closer eye on the flow of medical supplies.
In recent months, Kwara, which was once thought to be one of the more tranquil states in the North-Central area, has seen an increase in insecurity, incidences have been reported in Kaiama, Baruten, Ekiti, and parts of Moro LGAs.
The proximity of border settlements to vast forests that serve as criminal gang hideouts has made them especially susceptible.
