How Abducted Retired Colonel Was Rescued In Plateau – Army

Troops of the 3rd Division of the Nigerian Army and “Operation Enduring Peace” (OPEP) have confirmed the rescue of Colonel Joseph Ajanaku (rtd) from kidnappers around the Rafiki axis located in Bassa local government area of Plateau State.

The acting deputy director, Army Public Relations, 3rd Division, Nigerian Army, Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja, confirmed his rescue yesterday in Jos, the state capital.

He said, “I can confirm that our troops rescued the senior officer in the early hours of the evening. He’s currently taken to our medical facility for a check-up, “Danja said.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), a credible Army Headquarters source said Ajanaku was kidnapped at about 12:45 a.m. on January 5.

He said the victim was abducted from his residence opposite the Salvation Army Church along Rukuba Road, Bassa local government area.The source said the troops of Sectors 1 and 3 of the operation swiftly responded to the incident and trailed the kidnappers along their withdrawal route through the Wildlife Park axis.

He said the troops, working in collaboration with a Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) tracking team and local vigilantes, conducted sustained search-and-rescue operations around caves and rocky high grounds suspected to be criminal hideouts.

According to him, later in the day, at about 2:00 p.m., the kidnappers reportedly contacted the victim’s wife and demanded a ransom of N200 million.

The source disclosed that the kidnappers, having noticed the overwhelming presence of troops in pursuit, threatened to kill the abducted officer if the search-and-rescue operations continued.

The development, according to him, necessitated a tactical shift to covert operations by the troops.

He said the covert approach paid off as Ajanaku was rescued at about 5:30 p.m. on the same day on the outskirts of the Rafiki axis in Bassa LGA.

“The rescued retired officer is currently undergoing medical evaluation at the OPSH Medical Centre and will be debriefed to obtain actionable intelligence to aid follow-up operations.” the source said.