A medical doctor has been arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services for allegedly moving medical supplies from Sokoto to suspected kidnap gangs operating in Kwara State.
The Kwara State Government announced the arrest on Friday in a statement shared on its official Facebook page. According to the government, the suspect was caught in Jebba, located in Moro Local Government Area, after security intelligence linked him to a network that delivers medical items to armed groups across the region.
The statement said, “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 doctor was intercepted in the Jebba area following intelligence reports about the activities of the kidnappers and their couriers.”
It added, “The secret service says the criminal gangs appear desperate for medical care following gunshot wounds sustained in encounters with security forces.”
Security officials familiar with the operation said the arrest is part of a broader effort to break the support systems that help kidnapping groups survive. One official said kidnapping gangs have recently stepped up their attempts to access treatment for gunshot injuries, prompting tighter checks on the movement of medical supplies across the North-Central zone. The official said kidnapping gangs have been “trying to get treatment for gunshot wounds”, stressing that this has forced operatives to increase surveillance.
Kwara State, once considered relatively calm in the region, has seen a rise in insecurity over the past months. Cases have been recorded in Kaiama, Baruten, Ekiti and several parts of Moro. Many border communities remain at risk because they are close to large forests that criminal groups use as hideouts.
