The Nigerian Army said its troops neutralised six terrorists, rescued kidnapped victims and recovered arms in multiple operations in Benue State.
This was disclosed on the Nigerian Army verified Facebook page on Thursday evening.
According to the post, troops acting on actionable intelligence raided a notorious kidnapping syndicate’s hideout in Sankara, Ukum Local Government Area, resulting in the neutralisation of three terrorists and the rescue of two hostages.
The operation also led to the recovery of one AK-47 rifle, a locally fabricated gun, assorted mobile phones, a camouflage uniform, and one motorbike.
According to the Facebook post: “In a related development, troops on a search-and-rescue operation have successfully extricated from kidnappers’ den Warrant Officer Ogbonna Charles, a serving soldier of the Nigerian Army, who was abducted in the Goh Area of Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State.
“The soldier, who was abducted on May 25, 2024, in Naka, is currently undergoing medical checks following his rescue.
“Similarly, on May 30, 2024, Lieutenant Bot Elisha and 10 other passengers who were kidnapped while travelling on board a Peace Mass Transit Bus from Abuja to Port Harcourt were rescued.”
The Nigerian Army asserted that its troops combed known and suspected enclaves of kidnappers and successfully freed the victims, who are currently receiving medical attention.
The Facebook post also disclosed another ‘significant operation.’
“Following an airstrike by the Nigerian Air Force on the hideout of a militia kingpin known as “Full Fire” on May 29, 2024, troops conducted an exploitation mission to the target camp.
” The operation resulted in the recovery of four Baofeng radios with six chargers, one laptop, two Citel phones, three Samsung tablets, and 22 SIM cards of various networks. Additionally, 2 Moniepoint POS machines, numerous phone batteries, one HP hard drive, various family pictures, one burnt AK-49 rifle, a magazine containing 11 rounds of ammunition, and a pen containing 30 cows were seized,” it stated.
