Troops of the Nigerian Army’s 8 Division Garrison have rescued 14 kidnapped victims and recovered 281 rustled livestock during a clearance operation against bandits in Shagari Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
A security source disclosed the development to journalists in Sokoto on Wednesday, saying the operation followed a distress call after bandits attacked Horo Birni Village on Tuesday.
According to the source, the armed men abducted several residents and made away with a large number of livestock before troops swiftly mobilised to the area.
The source said the soldiers intercepted the bandits while they were moving the victims and the stolen animals, forcing the criminals to abandon their captives and flee.
“The troops successfully rescued all 14 kidnapped victims and recovered 281 rustled livestock,” the source said.
He attributed the success of the operation to the prompt response of the troops and effective collaboration among security agencies.
“The troops are always battle-ready to tackle all forms of criminality in the country but need sustained community support and vigilance,” the source added.
Meanwhile, operatives of the Enugu State Police Command have rescued four kidnapped victims in separate operations carried out in Enugu and neighbouring Benue State.
The police also recovered the decomposing body of another victim allegedly killed by his abductors.
The Command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement, noting that the operations were intelligence-led and involved police operatives, the Nigerian Army, Enugu State Forest Guards, neighbourhood watch personnel, vigilante groups and the Benue State Civil Protection Guards.
Ndukwe said two brothers abducted at Ezimo-Ulo in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State were rescued after security operatives tracked the kidnappers to Ikele in Owukpa Community, Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State.
He explained that operatives from the Udenu Police Division, the Anti-Kidnapping Section of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit, the Distress Response Squad and the Orukam Police Division of the Benue State Police Command carried out the operation with support from the Inspector-General of Police’s Handshake Patrol initiative.
According to him, the operation resulted in a gun duel, forcing the kidnappers to flee with suspected gunshot wounds while the victims were rescued unharmed.
Security operatives also recovered 15 rounds of live ammunition, the victims’ Android phones and car keys, other mobile phones and accessories, a bottle containing substances suspected to be hard drugs with related paraphernalia, clothing items and N11,800 from the suspects’ hideout.
The rescued victims were later debriefed and reunited with their families.
In another operation, police operatives attached to the Umabor Police Division, in collaboration with the Anti-Kidnapping Section of the Violent Crime Response Unit, Enugu State Forest Guards and neighbourhood watch personnel, rescued two other kidnapped victims at Amukpa Village in Ogbozara Community, Nsukka Local Government Area.
However, Ndukwe disclosed that another victim lost his life in captivity.
He said the victim’s decomposing body was recovered from a forest, where investigators believe he died from gunshot wounds inflicted by the kidnappers.
The police spokesperson added that investigations were ongoing, while efforts had been intensified to arrest the fleeing suspects involved in both incidents.
