PICTORIAL: Troops Destroy Kidnap Cell, Rescue 14 Victims

Troops of Sector 1, Joint Task Force South-East, Operation UDO KA (OPUK), have successfully rescued 14 kidnap victims in a high-impact raid within the Orokam Forest corridor linking Udenu LGA of Enugu State and Ogbadigbo LGA of Benue State.

Army Headquarters sources said the operation was triggered by actionable intelligence from vigilant community sources.

According to the source, troops working in concert with local vigilantes mounted a deliberate assault on a suspected kidnap hideout concealed deep in the forest.

The source said the criminals on seeing the troops unleashed gunfire, prompting a fierce engagement.

“The joint force’s superior firepower, tactical manoeuvre and relentless advance forced the kidnappers to break contact and flee, abandoning the abductees,” the source stated.

He said the rescued victims were seized over the weekend while returning from a burial event and were being held in dispersed clusters across the forest.

Intelligence further indicated that the victims were abducted from two separate communities: Ezimo Agu in Udenu LGA of Enugu State and Orokam in Ogbadigbo LGA of Benue State.

“All rescued persons have been formally handed over to the Divisional Police Officer, Udenu Division, for proper profiling and subsequent reunification with their families,” he added.