Troops Rescue Abducted Lieutenant Colonel, Civilian In Enugu

Troops of the Nigerian Army have rescued a kidnapped senior military officer, Lt. Col. Ofor Amobi, and a civilian, Mr. Ikechukwu Onwuanra, following a 10-day joint search-and-rescue operation in Enugu State.

The rescue was disclosed in a military operational report made available on Saturday in Abuja.

According to the report, the victims were rescued in the early hours of Friday after sustained military pressure forced their abductors to abandon them.

The operation was carried out by troops of Sector 1 of Operation UDO KA, comprising personnel of the 82 Division Garrison, the 103 Battalion (Reinforced), the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service and the 197 Special Forces Battalion.

Led by the Commander of the 82 Division Garrison, the joint force conducted extensive search operations across the forests and surrounding communities of Inyi, Awlaw and Akpugo-Eze in Oji River Local Government Area of Enugu State.

The report said the breakthrough came around 2:00 a.m. on Friday when the Divisional Police Officer of Inyi Division provided credible intelligence on the victims’ location.

Acting swiftly on the information, the troops launched a fighting patrol and found the victims abandoned on the edge of a forest in Inyi.

The military said both Lt. Col. Amobi and Onwuanra had sustained gunshot wounds and were immediately evacuated to the 82 Division Medical Hospital, where they are receiving treatment and undergoing medical evaluation.

Preliminary findings indicated that the victims had been blindfolded, taken to an undisclosed location by their captors and later abandoned in a forest along the Enugu-Anambra border.

According to the report, the rescued victims credited their freedom to the sustained offensive mounted by the joint security team, which restricted the kidnappers’ movements and ultimately forced them to flee without their captives.

The military added that more details of the operation would be released as investigations continue.