Nigeria Army Rescues 33 Kidnapped People

The Nigerian army has safely rescued 33 people kidnapped by gunmen in various operations across the country.

In Kogi State, Nigerian Army-led security forces rescued 16 people abducted by suspected kidnappers in Ofu Local Government Area. The rescued victims comprised six adult males, six adult females and four children. However, one local hunter was killed during the operation, while a police officer sustained injuries and is receiving medical treatment.

Troops of the 82 Division/Joint Task Force South East, Operation UDO KA, arrested a suspected commander of a kidnapping syndicate in Enugu State. The troops also recovered four AK-47 rifles, seven magazines and 133 rounds of ammunition from a forest hideout. Preliminary investigations linked the suspect to several kidnapping activities across the South-East and North-Central regions.

In a separate operation, troops of Sector 2, Operation Fansan Yamma, rescued 18 kidnapped persons and arrested two suspected members of the Lakurawa terrorist group in Zamfara State.

The State Security Service (SSS) also freed and compensated a man who was wrongly detained for an alleged role in the abduction of pupils and teachers from schools in Oyo State. The SSS director general approved the payment of initial N3 million as compensation to assist the wrongly detained man in meeting his immediate needs and restarting his life.

What was recovered The troops recovered US$1,000, N785,900 and other incriminating items from the suspected commander of the kidnapping syndicate in Enugu State.

Context The rescue operations come as the Nigerian army continues to battle kidnappers and terrorist groups across the country. The army has reported several successes in recent operations, including the neutralization of suspected bandits and the recovery of arms and ammunition.