Nigerian Army troops have rescued multiple kidnapping victims across Plateau and Kaduna States in a series of operations conducted over the past 48 hours, the military announced Saturday.
Troops of Operation Enduring Peace foiled several abduction attempts and launched manhunts for fleeing suspects across the two states, according to a statement issued by the Joint Task Force.
In Riyom Local Government Area, soldiers from Sector 6 responded around 12:30 a.m. on June 5 to reports of kidnappers blocking the Hawan Kibo–Rafin Sayin highway. Arriving troops found an abandoned ash-coloured Honda registered APP-93CF left in the middle of the road.
A search-and-rescue operation in the surrounding bushes led to the recovery of six passengers who had been abducted while travelling from Lafiya, Nasarawa State, to Jos. The vehicle’s driver remains missing, and troops have continued searching for him.
In Bokkos LGA, the same day, Sector 5 troops responding to a distress call from Faggem Village disrupted an ongoing abduction. The operational pressure forced the kidnappers to abandon their targets and flee into a nearby forest.
A pastor and his wife were rescued, though both sustained injuries during the initial assault. They were evacuated to Bokkos Medical Clinic for treatment while a manhunt for the suspects remains active.
In the early hours of Saturday, June 6, Sector 7 troops deployed at Ungwan Gora in Sanga LGA responded to reports of terrorists blocking the highway between Rafi Tagwai and Angwan Dariya. Troops discovered that passengers aboard a commercial vehicle had been kidnapped. Eight empty casings of 7.62mm ammunition were recovered at the scene before soldiers pursued the suspects into the adjoining forest.
Two injured passengers were rescued during the operation and evacuated to a hospital in Fadan Karshi District. Efforts to rescue remaining occupants of the vehicle are ongoing.
