Troops of the Nigerian Army’s 8 Division Garrison have rescued 14 kidnapped victims and recovered 281 rustled livestock following an operation against bandits in Shagari Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
A security source familiar with the operation disclosed the development to journalists in Sokoto on Wednesday.
The source, who requested anonymity, said the troops responded swiftly to a distress call on Tuesday after bandits attacked Horo Birni Village and abducted several residents while rustling livestock.
According to the source, the troops intercepted the bandits as they were moving the kidnapped victims and the stolen animals, forcing them to abandon their captives and flee.
The operation led to the successful rescue of all 14 victims and the recovery of 281 livestock.
The source attributed the success of the operation to the troops’ prompt response 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 said.
In a related development, operatives of the Enugu State Police Command have rescued four kidnap victims during separate operations in Enugu and neighbouring Benue State, while recovering the body of another victim who was allegedly killed by his abductors.
The Command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, said the rescues were carried out through coordinated intelligence-led operations involving police operatives, the Nigerian Army, the Enugu State Forest Guards, neighbourhood watch personnel, vigilante groups and the Benue State Civil Protection Guards.
One of the operations led to the rescue of two brothers who were abducted at Ezimo-Ulo in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State.
According to Ndukwe, operatives from the Udenu Police Division, the Anti-Kidnapping Section of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), the Distress Response Squad (DRS) and the Orukam Police Division of the Benue State Police Command tracked the kidnappers to Ikele in Owukpa Community, Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The operation, which also leveraged the Inspector-General of Police’s Handshake Patrol initiative, culminated in a gun battle that forced the kidnappers to flee with suspected gunshot wounds, allowing the victims to be rescued safely.
Security operatives 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 and related paraphernalia, clothing items and ₦11,800 from the kidnappers’ hideout.
The victims were later debriefed and reunited with their family.
In a separate operation, operatives of the Umabor Police Division, working with the Anti-Kidnapping Section of the VCRU, the Enugu State Forest Guards and neighbourhood watch personnel, rescued two other victims who had been kidnapped at Amukpa Village in Ogbozara Community, Nsukka Local Government Area.
Police, however, said another victim did not survive the ordeal. His decomposing body was recovered from a forest, where investigators believe he died from gunshot wounds inflicted by the kidnappers while in captivity.
Ndukwe said investigations were ongoing and that security operatives had intensified efforts to track down the fleeing suspects involved in both incidents.
