Troops Kill 3 Terrorists, Rescue Hostages In Benue

Nigerian Army troops have rescued two hostages and killed three kidnappers in different operational engagements in Benue State.

This is just as troops also rescued a serving Nigerian Army warrant officer, Ogbonna Charles, who was abducted in the state.

A statement by the Nigerian Army on its official X handle said troops acting on actionable intelligence, raided a notorious kidnap syndicate hideout in Sankara, Ukum local government area, where they killed three terrorists and rescued two hostages.

During the operation, the troops recovered one AK-47 rifle, one locally fabricated gun, assorted mobile phones, a camouflage uniform, and one motorbike.

In a related development, troops on a search and rescue operation rescued 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 25th May,2024 in Naka, is currently undergoing medical checks following his rescue.

Similarly, troops on 30th May 2024 rescued Lieutenant Bot Elisha and 10 other passengers who were kidnapped while traveling on board a Peace Mass Transit Bus from Abuja to Port Harcourt.

“The troops diligently combing known and suspected enclaves of the kidnappers, successfully trailed and freed the victims. All rescued individuals are currently receiving medical attention,” the statement said.

Furthermore, following an airstrike by the Nigerian Air Force on the hideout of a militia kingpin known as “Full Fire” on 29 May 2024, troops conducted an exploitation mission to the target camp where they recovered four Baofeng radios with six chargers, one laptop, two Citel phones, three Samsung tablets, and 22 SIM cards of various networks.

Troops also recovered two 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.