Relief has come the way of parents of the 15 youth corps members who were abducted in Kogi State.
The Joint security forces have rescued the ‘corpers’ and other six persons abducted on the Alloma–Ejule–Itobe road in Kogi, after a coordinated sweep of the Egume and Ochaja forests in Dekina Local Government Area of the state.
The troops of the 12 Brigade, Nigerian Army, carried out the operation in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, local hunters and vigilante groups.
Speaking on the rescue of the NYSC members, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, disclosed on Monday that 21 victims, comprising eight males and 13 females, had been rescued from the Egume-Ochaja forest.
Speaking on the rescue of the NYSC members, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, disclosed on Monday that 21 victims, comprising eight males and 13 females, had been rescued from the Egume-Ochaja forest.
He said 15 of those rescued were NYSC members who were among the victims kidnapped last week while travelling from Abuja to Bayelsa State.
He said 15 of those rescued were NYSC members who were among the victims kidnapped last week while travelling from Abuja to Bayelsa State.
In a statement signed by Lt. Hassan Abdullahi, the Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 12 Brigade, the military said the rescue followed credible intelligence on a mass abduction of road users in the area.
“Acting on credible intelligence, troops mobilised from Headquarters of the 21 Battalion and, together with other security agencies, local hunters and vigilantes, conducted a coordinated search of the adjoining forests,” the military said.
It explained that during the operation, the joint team located and freed all 21 victims, comprising eight males and 13 females, from hideouts within the Egume and Ochaja forest areas.
The army said one of the victims sustained a gunshot wound during the rescue and was immediately evacuated to a medical facility for treatment.
The army said the remaining victims were currently in military custody, pending formal handover to appropriate authorities.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, commended the troops and all partners involved in the operation for their courage and cooperation that led to the successful rescue.
He also urged members of the public to remain vigilant and to provide timely and credible information to security agencies to support ongoing efforts to combat kidnapping and other forms of criminality.
